


Artemis Experiments Weird

by Eldewind_Dolly



Category: Artemis Fowl - Eoin Colfer
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-19
Updated: 2019-01-19
Packaged: 2019-10-12 10:44:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 15
Words: 94,707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17466065
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eldewind_Dolly/pseuds/Eldewind_Dolly
Summary: (this fanfiction takes place after the Eternity Code)It’s been a few months since Artemis Fowl has been mindwiped by the LEP when he notices peculiar glitches around, and ends up discovering an uncanny dimension: the Wired. Artemis’ lust for power takes over, and as he has forgotten all about his spark of decency, the fairies will face the consequences of distrusting him.





	1. Database 00 : Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Eoin Colfer is the author of the Artemis Fowl series, therefore I do not own any of its characters. Many elements of this fanfiction are also inspired or directly drawn from the 1998 Japanese anime ‘Serial Experiments Lain’, even though it is NOT a crossover.
> 
> I'd also like to mention that I'm French, and English isn't my first language. I'm writing directly into English without translating from my mother tongue, so even though I proofread everything there might be spelling errors and mistakes here and there. My bad, and feel free to point them out !
> 
> Author's Recommandation: I personally love writing and reading to music. If you're interested, I highly recommand listening to the full 'Neon Demon' OST by Cliff Martinez, from the eponymous movie by Nicolas Winding Refn (freaking aesthetical masterpiece if you ask me). This entire soundtrack just really fits the mood of the fanfic !
> 
> Enjoy your reading ! :-)

**Artemis Experiments Weird**

 

**Database #00 : Prologue**

**EXCERPT FROM ARTEMIS FOWL II’S DIARY (CRYPTED DISK)**

Much alike the human internet, the fairy internet is a network which allows users to stock and share datas. However,  there is more to it. In fact,  whereas human computing networks are made of digital signals, coded in binary, the fairy internet is  _ quantic _ . 

It is constantly evolutive, but above all, it is fuelled by the massive amount of datas collected by the fairy technology, far beyond humanity’s.  Simply put, i f our internet is a worldwide network, its  fairy  alter-ego is an entire alternate universe of possibilities. 

But that is not really the point here.

Actually, there is only one question worth asking. How come the fairies are so technologically advanced, compared to us humans ?

One might answer their civilization is much more ancient, and thus did not evolve faster, but sooner. In a way, it is correct. But the true answer lies elsewhere.

The true answer is the Wired.  And I wish I never found out about it.

.

  
Yet, for now, let’s leave the Wired aside. It is a highly complicated subject,  extremely difficult to apprehend,  which pushes the limits of what we thought was possible far beyond human comprehension. Even for someone such as me. Actually, I doubt any regular human or fairy being would grasp the Wired and all its subtleties with  merely  a plain explanation.

I believe the only way to truly understand the Wired, in all its  absolute  power and  unutterable  dangerousness,  is to try and retrace the events that led me to the knowledge of its existence… and the descent into hell that followed.

Retracing back to the very beginning of this desastrous adventure is quite easy, actually. It all started with the mindwipe, after the  C Cub e incident. And more specifically, with the infamous centaurian technological consultant of the LEPrecon. 

As everyone knows, Foaly is afflicted with a serious case of paranoia. Even after I had been mindwiped  under his careful watch , he was worried I  would find a way to get my memories back,  in order to resurface  and confront them with a cruel and ruthless revenge. Of course, he was right  for the most part  ; even though it didn’t exactly turned out as  we  had  both imagined it would.

So, even a few months after I had been mindwiped, Foaly was still worried. He wanted to check on me – or, more exactly, on my  computing devices and digital archives, just to make sure there weren’t any unknown copy of my memories somewhere. But he couldn’t do that. Fowl Manor was under close LEP surveillance, but besides that, any contact with me was strictly forbidden. Using the LEP’s  machines or his personal computer, Foaly would leave a trace of his checkout. 

And t hus,  in order  to ease his compulsive fears, Foaly sealed our fates,  using the only way he knew of to check on me undetected . 

He logged on to the Wired. 

"  Oh, i t won’t be long, he thought to himself. Just a simple checkout. Nobody will notice, and anyway, what consequences could  there be ? "  


I must tell you that the technological consultant of the LEP was wrong. Dead wrong.

Someone  _ did _ notice. And  dear Lord,  you have  _ no _ idea of the consequences.


	2. Database 01 : Glitches

**Database #01 : Glitches**

Judging from the outside, Artemis Fowl II's life at the age of thirteen was merely as quiet and motionless as it could get.

It seemed as if the darkest years of his childhood were behind him : his mother was somehow cured of her depression and bipolar disorder issues, and miraculously, after nearly three years, his father had resurfaced from the dead in Helsinki. It appeared as if someone had anonymously left him in front of the Finnish hospital to be found and rescued. As to know were Artemis Senior was during all these years, no one could tell : even the hypothesis of the Russian Mafiya holding him hostage didn't stand, as Artemis could certify he had never received any ransom demand – or didn't remember so.

Still, the young Fowl hadn't been sitting back for three years : he could account for many operations – both legal and illegal – aiming to restore the family fortune, and quite successful operations with that. Even so successful, that he had to keep most of his private bank accounts secret, so his parents wouldn't ask him about it. The Fowl heir had actually gathered so much gold, that there were even parts of it he couldn't put up where he actually got them.

Anyway, as he had both his parents back, an end was put to his mischievous schemes. Most of his energy now went to school, various research projects in the fields of science and art, and spending time with his family.

All in all, it seemed like the criminal and adventurous life of Artemis Fowl was behind him, and he was promised to a brilliant future.

Yet, even though he couldn't quite tell why, he felt somewhat… _odd_ in his heart. As if things weren't quite right. As if he was… _missing_ something.

One morning, he had woken up feeling nauseous, with a severe migraine, a sense of dizziness in his brain. That in itself could be rationalized easily ; too much work, lack of proper sleep… being the businessman and relentless schemer he was, Artemis was actually quite accustomed to these symptoms of fatigue. However, it was definitely strange that said symptoms would last for _weeks_. Then _months_.

And then, there were the lenses.

Washing his face that same morning, Artemis had found a pair of reflective contact lenses falling from his eyes in the sink. More astounding was that Butler and Juliet had awoken with similar lenses, and that apparently, it was Artemis himself who had bought them.

Three months had passed since then, and Artemis still hadn't managed to solve the mystery. He had gotten used to the migraines – which kept him awake almost every night, and that the strongest painkillers couldn't silence. But something Artemis Fowl would never get used to was having a puzzle unsolved.

Had his mental health slowly started to deteriorate, as had his mother's before ? Or was he a victim of an unkown foe playing tricks on his mind ? Only one thing Artemis hold for certain : whoever was behind this, would eventually _deeply_ regret trying to confront him. It was the only solace in his long nights of insomnia : the thought of how exactly was he going to _obliterate_ his enemy.

It might sound like a harsh word to use. But indeed, the seemingly peaceful attitude he was adopting for the past months was only a facade, hiding the cold, yet determined anger growing inside him. For if not in the deepest of his heart, Artemis was a criminal mastermind in his soul. He had it in his blood. The day he would give up on his tortious plans and corrupt behaviour was far from happening, his parents on the watch or not.

Then, one might wonder why Artemis hadn't attempted anything yet, against his mysterious opponent or just for the art of mischievousness. Not even the slightest spectacular painting theft. Well, Artemis Fowl was waiting.

He had tried his best to pick up any information he could on the puzzle in his hands, and found nothing. Artemis eventually conceided that he didn't have enough clues to work with, and after interrogating the lenses' supplier (with no good results), no solid lead to follow. But he could feel, deeply in his guts, that he shouldn't give up on this enigma, and his instinct told him that there _was_ some one – at the very least – behind all this. And Artemis knew that this someone was probably still watching him. That's what he would do in the same position.

This conclusion being made, Artemis only had one option : pretending he had given up, moved on and settled up ; and begin waiting. For the slightest sign, the most insignificant trace of surveillance. Any trace was a sackload of information. Information leads to knowledge ; and anyone who knows anything about Artemis Fowl knows his personal motto : _knowledge is power_.

And so, Artemis waited. For a couple months, it was in vain. But eventually, his patience was rewarded.

The very peculiar phenomenons he witnessed, on two occasions, are so exteremely rare and of such ephemeral nature that it's actually almost impossible for any ordinary human to see it. But Artemis generally wasn't any ordinary human, and he had lately grown to be particularly observant – at the point it almost became unhealthy.

The first time was during a Sixth Year philosophy lesson in St Bartleby. This class was supposedly not Artemis' school level ; actually he was the youngest student in the group, as everyone around him was about eighteen or nineteen. Be he had long since made it quite obvious that his actual intellectual level was far beyond anything the professors in Bartleby could teach him, so he had been given exceptional authorization to attend four Senior Cycle classes, despite his young age.

Professor Tarkovski, the young yet long, white-haired teacher, was analysizing an excerpt of French philosopher Michel Foucault's _Microphysics of Power_ when the phenomenon happened. Unlike many of his classmates, who were for the most part scribbling on their notes, texting on their phones or patently sleeping, Artemis was concentrated on Tarkovski's lesson, his fingers crossed under his chin, eyes locked on the blackboard. He genuinely enjoyed philosophy, especially since it was a discipline he usually hardly had time studying, and Tarkovski was actually not bad in his domain, providing thoughtful analyzes and being a fierce rhetorician when confronted by Artemis about philosophical theories. Artemis had even, rare enough display of respect to be reported, switched his cellphone on silent mode.

But something suddenly caught Artemis' full attention, disconnecting him instantly of Foucault's depiction of the intrication of social norms and power mechanisms. Yet that something was hardly a glimpse, and lasted about less than a second. It appeared about a few inches above Tarkovski's hand writing on the blackboard. If Artemis hadn't been this focused, like he hadn't stopped being for two months, he probably never would have seen it. For a split second, he even thought it was an hallucination. But it didn't really look like one.

His mind racing, Artemis tried to describe what he had seen. _Alteration_ seemed like the most fitting description at first. The words of Tarkovski's sentence, « implacable mechanism of apolitical, human sciences-derived forms of control », had, for a brief moment, _mixed up_ , then everything had came back to normal. It was as if pieces of the board had started disassembling, distorting even, and reput themselves together afterwards. Like pixels bugging on an old computing device.

 _Like a glitch_ , Artemis thought to himself, his heart pounding and a familiar electricity running down his spine. He was persuaded this strange phenomenon was, a way or another, the sign he had been waiting for.

He spent the rest of the hour intently staring at every word on the blackboard in case it started glitching again, but nothing of supernatural interest happened next. He didn't notice the text from his mother, that he had received precisely the minute the Glitch had happened, until the end of the class. And, all shaken he was after what he had witnessed, he paid zero attention to the rest of Tarkovski's lesson about Foucault – which was rather a pity, actually, considering what he could have have learned. But Artemis' problem with philosophy had never been learning ; it was understanding the concepts – concepts like morality, ethics, power. He eventually did understood them, but far too late.

The second time Artemis saw a Glitch was only eight days later. This time, he was more prepared, for he knew what he was waiting for. The questions he had not elucidated were _why_ the glitching happened, and _where_ it actually came from. On this second occasion, he got to find out about the latter.

It was about four a.m and a half in the morning, a time at which even Artemis was normally asleep. But since that fateful morning three months earlier, sleep deprivation had slowly become his daily life. Lying on the back in the middle of his bed, eyes on the ceiling, he had long since given up on reciting himself the Irish Constitution to try and put himself to sleep. Artemis was hesitating on whether he should grab a book or check on his several bank accounts, until he decided for the latter. Reaching for his cellphone, he grabbed it and switched it on in a single move, smothering a yawn.

Suddenly, the applications' logos on the phone's main menu started glitching under Artemis' eyes, in an almost violent fashion. Artemis dropped the phone in surprise as if he had been electrocuted, and then the Glitch stopped almost as soon as it had begun.

Artemis was immediately as awake as he could be, his infamous vampiric grin twisting his pale features. The Glitches were initiating from his cellphone, which meant that whatever his mysterious stalker was surveilling him with, it used the phone as an intermediate. The young Fowl pushed his silk blankets aside, and, holding the cellphone tightly in his hand, he went directly to his office a few rooms away from his bedroom. There, he kept a toolbox and an operating table, in case he needed to dis- and reassemblate one of his three personal computers.

 _Whatever software or virus has been used to infect my phone_ , Artemis thought with a dire look in his ocean blue eyes, _I'm going to find it_.

After two hours of work, the task proved easier said than done. Artemis had triple-checked everything on the phone, and _in_ the phone, dissecting every application and every microchip it had.

He didn't try to connect the device to one of his computer to try and get a more thorough exam ; if it was indeed a virus of some sort as he suspected, he couldn't risk it infecting his other computing machines. Unless all his material was already infected – but for now he would rather push this possibility aside.

Eventually, at eight a.m and after the third sleepless night he had had in row, Artemis gave up. Whatever caused the Glitch through his cellphone, it had left absolutely no trace. None, nowhere.

But everyone knows Artemis Fowl doesn't get discomfited easily.

For now, he had to assume he was facing a particularly intelligent and undetectable virus, capable of causing peculiar alterations both in the digital and physical world. Glitches. That was weird, to say the least. But to Artemis, it was mostly very intriguing. Another sardonic smile stretched his lips, revealing his teeth.

Hacking had always been one of his strongest skills, which he had been practising since the tender age of six. He had never stopped keeping in touch with his contacts in both deepweb and darknet forums – in another life, some of them helped him gather the tokens and informations that ended up leading him to Ho Chi Minh City… even if he had no recollection of it – ; and it seemed to him that now was time to come and say hello again.

Despite how preoccupying the situation was, Artemis couldn't help but chuckle.

Finally, after so many months. Some fun.


	3. Database 02 : Zero Day

**Database #02 : Zero-Day**

**ARTEMIS' OFFICE, FOWL MANOR**

After a hot shower and a couple sleeping pills, Artemis had eventually managed to get a few hours of restful sleep. Of course, he was eager to finally get back on tracks, but as he felt he was tackling onto one of the biggest challenges he had ever faced, Artemis knew he would better be in his best mental and physical condition.

And so was he now : wearing his signature Armani suit and Gucci moccassins, Artemis sat at his desk, and switched on his computers. He activated _Aegis_ , an IP-adress jammer software of his own design, and logged on to the Internet ; there, he opened a new window, clicked on a few links and directly entered code commands in the search bar. As he was logging on to three different darknet forums, Artemis cracked his knuckles with a soft grin. Here, he was in his element.

There was a gentle knock on the door, and Butler entered the room, a tray in his hands.

'' Here's the light breakfast you ordered. ''

'' Thank you, Butler. You can put it over here. ''

Butler approached, and as he laid the tray on the desk, he couldn't help but stare at his principle with concern. The dim green light of the computer screens exacerbated how pale and sickly Artemis' skin was. The manservant was well aware of his charge's insomnia crises, but Artemis firmly refused medical help, stating he was perfecty able to diagnose and cure himself far better than any doctor in Dublin. It was probably true, but Butler also knew Artemis' tendancy to ignore his body's signals when it came to work overload.

'' Butler, your staring is distracting me. ''

The bodyguard quickly turned his gaze away.

'' Sorry '', he apologized. '' So, you are back on your… deep-web stuff chats ? ''

Artemis didn't turn to answer, eyes locked to the screen, his fingers already slammering the keyboard.

'' It's called darknet, but yes. I'm working on a very interesting problem. ''

'' … may I ask who you are talking to ? ''

Artemis rolled his eyes.

'' Please, Butler. I can take care of myself online. ''

The manservant couldn't help but smile internally.

'' Well, the last time you told me that, I found you corresponding with Edmund Kemper. ''

'' That was five years ago and we only emailed a few times. Plus, it was a very interesting conversation. ''

'' You _do_ know Kemper is a serial killer, right ? ''

Eventually, Artemis turned his head to his protector, a hint of amusement in his eyes.

'' Don't worry, Butler. I will be fine. ''

The manservant smiled, and his young charge turned back to his computer. But as he silently left the room, Butler still couldn't feel reassured.

Lately, it had become more and more difficult for him to reach out to Artemis. Of course, they were still close to each other – more than the strictly professional relationship they were supposed to maintain –, but Butler still felt like their bond wasn't as strong as, somehow, it should have been. He couldn't force Artemis to connect with him, but the bodyguard hoped that his charge knew he could always turn to him if he needed to.

Artemis did knew that, obviously. Butler was what came the closest to a friend for him. On more than one occasion, the manservant had also been a substitute paternal figure, at times when Artemis had found himself unable to cope with the aching feeling of his own loneliness. Especially after his parents had respectively disappeared and fallen into depression.

But lately, Artemis had decided that he just shouldn't pay attention to the sting in his heart anymore – he felt as if it had never stopped growing, anyway.

As a matter of fact, it had… but again, he just wouldn't remember. So he did stop paying attention.

And as for Butler, of course Artemis still cared for him ; but he had also decided to keep in mind that his bodyguard was being paid to stay by his side. This way, Artemis didn't feel bad keeping his doubts and fears for himself. And it made things a lot easier.

Anyway, for now, Butler wasn't the one Artemis needed. As polyvalent and talented the manservant was, the « nerd stuff » definitely wasn't one of his strong points. But Artemis had many more allies, informants and associates up his sleeve, especially when it came to cybercriminality.

As he mentioned it himself before, Artemis had obtained the access to Internet at age eight. Having already read twice almost every book in the library – the only ones he hadn't read being the complete works of Marquis de Sade, which his parents had deliberately locked away –, young Artemis had sank into the web like a captive fish finally returned to the sea, absorbing all the information and knowledge he could find.

He had soon found out about online chats and forums, which quickly became like a second home for him. Online, no one knew Artemis' true age. Hiding behind an avatar and a pseudonym, the young Fowl could just be himself, and finally be talked to as an adult. Back then he already had some notions of hacking, enough to be accepted in the restricted circles of the most notorious and prominent hackers in the world. Then, all the things you cannot learn in a book or by yourself, Artemis learned with this community. He learned so quickly that soon, he was the one giving others advices. At age eleven.

After four years, Artemis was on the top five of the most renowned black hats worldwide, under the pseudonym of IBIQ*. He didn't have much left to learn from anyone on the techniques of hacking or malware development, but the world wide web still was a precious wealth of information on various topics – including illegal and uncanny ones, if you know where to look. After his father's disappereance, Artemis had started a very selective list of the most interesting darknet networks : darknets where you can find all kind of information, including government secrecy leaks, and a community of solid hackers – talented, sagacious, and yet creative enough to believe in things the small-minded wouldn't. There, Artemis knew his fellow users were able to pick up the truth from the fiction in all the creepypastas and urban legends blooming online.

If anyone had ever heard of an undetectable virus glitching its way into both digital and physical world, Artemis would definitely find them in the forums selection currently before his eyes.

Artemis grabbed the Earl Grey cup on the tray left by Butler, and took a sip of hot tea. Before going to his most trusted informers, he would make a public announcement. He logged on to the main chatroom of the first darknet, and started typing.

_\- Cellphone infected by unknown virus : probably used for surveillance purposes, undetectable, leaves no trace except some glitches – IN and OUT of cellphone. PM me if any_ _ valuable  _ _experience or_ _information_ _about this_ _._ ___ _IBIQ_

Artemis lightly pressed the Enter key, and copy-pasted the message on the two other darknets. Now he had that done, he could go directly to his informers ; especially two of them, who went together online as Th3lma and Lou1se.

They were undoubtedly a lot more respectable people than Edmund Kemper, but even though neither of them had ever killed anybody, they were still far from being angels. According to Artemis' assumptions, Th3lma had hacked the Pentagon six times at the very least in the last fifteen years, and was a high-degree complotist obsessed with paranormal phenomenons ; and Lou1se was a mole at the CIA. They had met Artemis three years earlier, on their private anonymous online chat. Lou1se had tried to intimidate him out of their business, until he send them their IP addresses, phones and bank account numbers. Since then, the three had decided it was for the best if they worked together.

Artemis typed a few instructions and passwords on the keyboard, and was soon connected to their private chatroom – they had named it Triangulan**. Artemis was merely logged in for half a second when Th3lma reacted.

_\- Hey IBIQ ! Long time no see._

Artemis smiled. Indeed, he had been inactive for almost eight months, which felt like forever. The young Fowl realized he was feeling genuinely good, despite having his phone infected by a malicious virus. It was so good to be back in the game.

On another side of the planet, Th3lma continued typing, and brought Artemis straight back to reality.

_\- Saw your_ _message_ _on the main chatroom._ _Had wondered_ _when you'd start looking for_ **it** _._

Artemis felt a rush of adrenaline in his blood as his heart started to beat faster. He typed furiously, without even looking to the keyboard.

_\- You saw glitches as well ?_

_\- Nope, not personally._ _Apparently it's very rare and difficult to notice_ _. From what I know,_ _there are actually_ _some_ _people online who had similar experiences, but most of them gather on_ _an_ _other forum. Want the url adress ?_

_\- If you don't mind. Any personal idea when this virus_ _h_ _as appeared first or who might have developed it ?_

_\- Don't think it's a virus, actually. Seems to be more complicated than that. Otherwise I don't know._

Artemis frowned. Knowing how Th3lma was keen on paranormal phenomenons, he thought they would be more useful than that. He received the url link, which he opened in a new tab. Meanwhile, Lou1se had joined the conversation.

_\- Hello IBIQ. Saw your post too, but never experienced what you describe personally either. But I know the CIA is investigating on several hackers, who_ _seem to be_ _working on a secret legendary program of some kind. Maybe it's related to your virus stuff. Can't tell why the CIA is investigating on that, though ; but I don't think it's a governmental thing._

That was a lot more helpful. After a short exchange of courtesies, Artemis logged out of Triangulan and started to go through the first fifty private messages he had received after his public request. He didn't learn much more than what Th3lma and Lou1se had told him ; a few other users sent him the same url that Th3lma did, ten argued that it was a NSA conspiracy, thirty that it wasn't, none had seen any Glitch and the majority admitted that even though they had all heard about experiences similar to Artemis', it remained very mysterious.

There weren't many more solid answers on the second darknet, but on the third, a user called Nova said she had seen a Glitch too. Artemis replied immediately, and wasn't disappointed : Nova's description of the Glitch fitted exactly what he had witnessed himself.

_\- I was on a business trip, on a plane. I was working on my laptop, and when a stewardess offered me to buy some drinks,_ _and I turned my head back to my computer,_ _the screen was_ _glitching._ _It was really like pixels readjusting together._ _I thought I was getting dizzy because of the altitude, but I found a few_ _testimonies_ _on the Net_ _which_ _sounded_ _very similar to what happened to me._ _The Glitches are a real legend online, but mostly amongst hardcore hackers because it seems like they are the only ones to really see them – or the only ones to really pay enough attention._

Artemis thought back to Th3lma's first words, and he also wondered why he hadn't heard about the Glitches sooner. Nova also sent him the same url, which definitely seemed to be the next mandatory step to learn more. Artemis only had one question left :

_\- What were you working on when the Glitch happened ?_

Nova took a few seconds to reply, during which Artemis managed to finish his tea before it turned completely cold.

_\- I'm an IT engineer. I was working on a personal project._

Artemis stored the information in the back of his brain. That was actually rather interesting ; it seemed like the Glitches only happened around people who had a strong connexion with computing. Artemis was getting more and more certain that where was someone behind this – wether a single individual or an organization, but his guess went to the first option. He had also been convinced it wasn't just a virus. It was still odd that it happened to him at a time where he wasn't even active online ; but it meant that the person who was behind the Glitches knew him and had surveilled him for a long time – and that this person was probably also connected to the lenses incident.

Artemis took a deep breath. He was definitely getting somewhere. Now was time to see what the url link he had constantly been referred to had to offer.

.

The first thing Artemis noticed when he opened the tab was how few users had logged in the darknet this past month. Merely six persons, including him. Going through the history of the forum, Artemis found there had never been more than ten users registered since it has been created, in 1984. He recognized a few pseudonyms as the best of the best in the elite of the hacking community. The majority of those having retired in the nineties.

Right now, there was only one other user connected, under the pseudo of Paprika. Artemis had never met her, or him, before. Seeing Paprika wasn't reacting to his presence, he decided to introduce himself.

_\- Hello._ _I think I have been under surveillance for a while (personal reasons), and this week I have witnessed two Glitches. I first believed my cellphone had been hacked by a virus, but according to my researches it's more complicated than that. I've been told to come here for answers._

It took a while for Paprika to reply. At a certain point, Artemis even though he was being ghosted, or his interlocutor was actually away from the keyboard. But then, the answer came.

_\- You should go away, IBIQ. Before it's too late._

Artemis thought Paprika was being quite overdramatic ; but a part of himself couldn't help but shiver. He regained his composure quickly, and replied almost instantly.

_\- I'm here just for answers._

Again, Paprika seemed to be choosing their words carefully.

_\- I've heard about you. If only half of what I've been told is true, there's no wonder you eventually came across the Wired. All the bests do. But be warned :_ _at first,_ _we all came here ''just for answers''._

Artemis' fingers were left hovering above the keyboard. For a reason he couldn't explain, he felt stunned.

The Wired.

Artemis had never heard or read about it before, but somehow it felt like he had always knew it existed.

There was something deep, uncanny behind these five letters, that disturbed Artemis to the core. Even as pixels on a computer screen, the word truly emanated an aura of mystery, but there was also something more, something darker. Something Artemis had always craved for, yet it took him a few seconds to put the right word on it.

It was an aura of _power_.

Artemis' features slowly twisted into his signature vampiric smile. Initially, he just wanted to find his mysterious enemy and make him go through a _real_ hard time ; but there might actually be the opportunity for more. _Much_ more. He could feel it.

_\- Tell me more about the Wired. Tell me everything._

Once again, Paprika took their time to reply. Artemis grew more and more exasperated every second, but at least it seemed like Paprika had decided to give him more than cryptic and theatrical lines.

_\- No one knows what the Wired is exactly, we can only make assumptions and theories. Here, we believe it is a network of some kind. It is definitely connected to the Internet but it's… different. Wider._ _It's way above what Internet will ever be._ _That could explain why it can affect the real world. Lain – the founder of this darknet – believed that the Wired is even older than Internet._

Artemis' eyes were glimmering from excitement, and with his diaphanous skin almost glowing in the darkness of his office, he looked like a madman's ghost.

 _\- What about the Glitches ?_ he asked.

_\- They seem to appear wherever the Wired goes. Like footprints._ _The only proof of its existence. Lain said the Glitches happened when someone was using the Wired, but it's impossible._

Artemis' eyes narrowed.

_\- Using the Wired ? How do you access it ?_

_\- That's the big problem. You can't._

Artemis sneered. « You can't » definitely wasn't a part of his vocabulary.

_\- If it is a network, the information can go both ways._

_\- There is a supersecurity. Protocol 9. It protects the Wired, actually Protocol 9 is the reason why the Wired is impossible to detect – if it wasn't for the Glitches. It is impossible to pass through Protocol 9. Everyone here has tried to break it. But it broke_ us _._

Artemis wasn't impressed.

 _\- No code is impossible to break, even if it takes eternity._ _Moreover, if there is a supersecurity, then_ someone _must have encoded it._

_\- That's also what Lain thought. You have a lot of things in common, I guess. Just so you know, Lain ended up in a psychiatric hospital. She tried so hard to find a way to get to the Wired that she turned crazy. She thought she was the Goddess of the Wired –_ _after all_ _she_ _was the one who_ _had invented the term_ _among our community_ _._ _Her partner back then has given up, and he refuses to even hear about_ _the Wired_ _anymore. We are the elite of the international hacker community, we ALL tried, and we ALL failed. I tried. I was very lucky I didn't end up insane. The Wired eats your life up once you start to try reaching it. It becomes an addiction._

Artemis was getting seriously tired with Paprika's melodramatic monologues. He didn't care one bit about the insanity threats. Actually, telling Artemis Fowl something is impossible was the best way to make said something his only and ultimate goal.

Though, he wasn't foolish enough to not take her warning seriously. He had heard about Lain, amongst others, and knew she was a great hacker if not the greatest of all. If she had failed to break Protocol 9, as all the nine others who attempted it after her, there must be a reason.

_\- Why don't you cut out the expositioning lecture now, and explain why Protocol 9 is actually so-called unbreakable ?_

It took Paprika a few minutes to reply, but this time probably because they was offended by Artemis' rudeness. Yet, he knew Paprika was certainly way too happy to have someone to mentor to just stop answering him. Indeed, after a good three minutes, Paprika replied.

 _\- First, you have to_ find _Protocol 9. That alone is complicated as hell ;_ _the only way we have found yet is to wait for a Glitch, and use it as a breadcrumb trail to get to the Protocol. But that is just the easy part. I guess you know the best way to break_ _into_ _a program ?_

Artemis replied instantly.

 _\- Find a Zero-Day_.

 _\- Exactly. You would assume that any program has at least one Zero-Day vulnerability, right ? A breakthrough which has_ _n't been found nor corrected by the developers._ _Well, Protocol 9 does have Zero-Days. The problem is, each time you find the Zero-Day and a breach appears, the code_ reprograms itself _. Like, instantly. You merely have the time to realize you made it, and then it's all gone and you have to restart all over again._

_\- Now I've told you everything I know, and I've done my best to warn you. I guess I can't stop you. Good luck, IBIQ, but remember this. You don't know what you're dealing with._

Somehow, Paprika's last words sounded familiar. But they logged out before Artemis could get a chance to answer.

The young Fowl closed off the tab, and went to the office's window. He swung the curtains and opened the window in one move. The cold December air hit him, and he shivered. It took his eyes a few moments to adjust to the light, but then he sat on the window's edge, and stared at Fowl Manor's untamed garden, and the Irish ocean below. The sight of nature helped him think.

Breaking Protocol 9 really seemed like hell of a challenge, but that's certainly not how you discourage Artemis Fowl. On the contrary, the possibility of being the first one to ever get to the Wired thrilled him at the highest point. He loved to make History and establish world records. But to make this dream come true, he would need a sackload of determination, and, most of all, a plan.

Artemis frowned, and closed his eyes, forcing himself to inhale and exhale deeply. He reopened his eyes. Protocol 9, even if a supersecurity, was definitely breakable, like any program ever developed. The complexity of it resided in the window of time allowed to the hacker. A short one, to say the least. Impossible to react. Unless…

Artemis smiled nastly. Unless you were prepared for it, and turned the microscopic time slot at your advantage. Indeed, if it's so small your brain barely has the time to process it, then whoever had developed Protocol 9 surely wouldn't notice it. If you manage to find a way to get through the breach, _and have a way back_ , then it certainly wouldn't be fixed. The breach would be a permanent secret passageway.

Now, that was easier said than done, but it was a start. Artemis rose up, eyes in the distance. In order to be able to go both ways through the breach, it was easy for him to define what he needed : a proxy. The question now was how he would get to install his proxy in the Wired, with such little time.

He also had an idea about that. It wasn't perfect, but it was the only one he could find.

His only chance was to have the proxy installer crafted in advance, and ready to be « kicked off » in the Wired as soon as the breach appeared.

Artemis sighed. It was random, to say the least ; even if he made sure the proxy installer autolaunched – for he certainly didn't have any superhuman reflexes to send it himself –, it would surely take a certain numbers of attempts for his proxy installer to make it through Protocol 9. And even after that, he had no way of knowing if the proxy could fit in the Wired's code – what if the Wired wasn't even coded in binary ? – or if he could reach it once the proxy was to the other side. But the more Artemis thought about it, the more he realized it was the only possible option.

Artemis' look was now filled with determination. He texted Butler, asking him for a protein and vitamin-packed menu for lunch.

There was quite an amount of work to do in order to become the best hacker in the world. He should as well apprehend it with a full stomach.

–

* : _IBIQ_ stands for _Irish Big IQ_.

** : _Triangulan_ is an anagram for _Alan Turing_.


	4. Database 03 : Proxy

 

**Database #03 : Proxy**

**FOWL MANOR, IRELAND**

Artemis had been working on his proxy installer for about two hours when Butler came to fetch him for lunch. The young Fowl was exhausted, but satisfied. There were still one or two adjustements needed, but overall he could be proud of himself. He decided to begin searching for Protocol 9 right after lunch.

Butler stayed in Artemis' office a few seconds after his charge had left. The bodyguard looked at the computer, but the display of code lines and binary digits were gibberish to him, so he gave up trying to figure out what Artemis was up to. Butler picked up the breakfast tray, noting absentmindedly that, once again, his principle had left most of it to be thrown away. The young boy just had more important things to care about than his manservant's efforts to serve him nutritious and caringly-crafted food, and Butler had long stopped feeling personally insulted. It still made him a bit sad, though.

As he went down the kitchen to dispose of the oxidised mango-papaya carpaccio and bring lunch to the main dining room, Butler suddenly stopped. His eyes watered, and he gathered all his mental and physical strength not to collapse at the sudden bolt of pain that just whiplashed through his heart. The bodyguard closed his eyes and breathed heavily, his shaking hands gripping to the silver tray, until he had regained a normal heartbeat. It took about fifteen seconds.

Butler sighed. Fortunately, he had managed not to spill up anything this time. These strange seizures were happening randomly for three months now, mostly after an intense physical effort but sometimes completely out of nowhere, like now. Artemis had examined him, but couldn't find a more satisfying explanation than simple fatigue. There was a bullet scar, two centimeters under his heart, but Butler couldn't recall where he had it from ; he assumed it was just too old for him to remember. It wasn't unlikely. The bodyguard had many scars.

When Butler eventually entered the dining room, carrying a plate of _decostruito_ parsnip cannellonis with cinnamon and honey, which exhaled a soft and delicate smell, Artemis was in the middle of an argument with his mother. Artemis Senior was not here yet.

'' … Arty dear, I'm _really_ worried about you '', Angeline was saying when Butler closed the door behind him. '' You look so pale ! We should really get you to a doctor. ''

Artemis rolled his eyes. Butler couldn't help but agree with his principal's mother, albeit he thought « pale » was quite the euphemism to describe Artemis' complexion. _Exsanguine_ would be more accurate. The manservant kept his mouth shut, but ostensibly served Artemis a large portion of cannellonis.

'' I am perfectly well, mother '', Artemis said in a soft but firm tone – very good at hiding his irritation. '' Just having some issues with sleep, but nothing that cannot be tamed by sleeping pills. There is absolutely no need for a doctor. ''

'' Just sleep issues, really ? And what about D-vitamin deprivation ? '' Angeline retorted, worried but with a cunning smile. '' Seriously honey, you could be starring in _Let the Right One In*._ ''

Artemis returned his mother's smile. Butler, who had stepped away after serving everyone and now stood near the door, couldn't help but feel a little envious. Artemis hadn't smiled back to him for almost two years.

'' Well '', the teenager replied, '' I'm fine with it, as long as it is the Swedish version. ''

Angeline chuckled, reassured to see her son joking, and they both focused on their meal. As soon as his mother had stopped pestering him, Artemis' face turned back to his usual cold expression. Manipulating her was easy. He didn't like having to, but now was definitely not the time for Angeline to interfere with his plans.

A few minutes later, Artemis Senior entered the room, his arrival announced by the sound of his cane on the floor. His prosthetic leg had been crafted by the best specialists in Europe, but he liked to walk around using his late father's cane, carved in black wood with a sculpted silver pommel. He said it felt more Victorian.

'' Sorry I'm late '', he said while sitting in the presiding chair. '' I'm in talks with Kobayashi to get back our shares from the Tokyo business, and he's... _quite_ reluctant. This is definitely the last time I'm working with the yakuzas. ''

He took Angeline's hand and they smiled at each other. Artemis didn't react, and kept on eating. He was the one who had reinvested in the yakuzas' business, two years earlier, and it had brought the Fowl bank account a few million euros. Since his father had come back, the more irrational decisions he made – for the sake of becoming an _honest businessman_ –, the more Artemis grew distant with him. The young Fowl was not only disappointed to see his father turn his back to the Fowl motto and values ; he actually felt betrayed.

Artemis Senior had spend his son's entire childhood teaching him that the end justify the means when it comes to the family's welfare – the family's welfare being defined as accumulating more gold and becoming more powerful. Ever since Artemis had been declared a genius, his father's expectations had grown even higher. It had felt for young Artemis as if he was never doing enough. When his father had disappeared, he had seen his chance of proving himself worthy of the Fowl name. At the news of Artemis Senior's reappearance, he was genuinely excited, eager to finally deserve his father's love and approval. But it was precisely after Artemis had successfully taken the head of the most feared criminal empire in Europe that his father decided to become a better man. And Artemis disappointed him. Again.

Artemis was an expert at concealing his emotions, and thus never allowed his father to see how much he had hurt him. But he would never forgive him either.

When his father spoke, Artemis raised his head politely, his expression as neutral as it could be.

'' So, what have you been up to, son ? '', Artemis Senior asked. '' It seems like you've been in your office for the entire morning. ''

'' I am working on a new proxy prototype '', Artemis answered.

'' Nothing illegal I hope ? ''

Artemis clenched his fists on his knife and fork. He forced himself to put on a reassuring expression.

'' Nothing illegal, I assure you. ''

It was not completely a lie. As the Wired was above all known institutions, it was certainly above all laws either.

'' Excuse me, but what is a proxy exactly ? '', Angeline interrupted.

Still standing by the door, Butler thanked her internally. When answering his mother, Artemis definitely had a more caring tone – though the manservant was the only one to notice.

'' A proxy is an application or a computer system. It stands as an intermediary between two or more different servers. More precisely, a go-between which passes on the questions and the answers from one user to the other. Like a bridge, if you prefer. ''

Before Angeline could reply, Artemis finished his dish and put down his cutlery.

'' Now, if you would excuse me, I've got some work to be done. ''

Angeline looked fairly disappointed to see him going so soon.

'' But don't you want dessert, honey ? ''

'' Mother, you know I don't like dessert '', Artemis answered while standing up. '' Thank you for the meal, Butler '', he added towards his bodyguard without even looking at him.

He had left the dining room before Butler had a chance to answer. The manservant and the Fowl parents silently exchanged a preoccupied look, neither of them knowing how to deal with how withdrawn the young boy was becoming day after day.

.

Meanwhile, Artemis, having no idea of the worry he was causing to his only close ones, was putting the final touches to his proxy installer, refining the code's simplicity and countering all the contigencies he could anticipate.

Finally, his installer was ready.

Artemis stretched his arms above his head, cracked his knuckles, took a preventive aspirin pill and got to work.

An hour and another aspirin pill later, he had found Protocol 9. In order to trigger a Glitch, he had started hacking into the Kremlin database – child's play. After five minutes, the left corner of his screen had started to Glitch, and Artemis had pounced on it like a starving predator.

Retracing the Glitch to the Wired proved a little bit more difficult. Artemis typed furiously on the keyboard, all his muscles tensed from the concentration, blinking furiously to evacuate from his eyes the drops of sweat rolling down his forehead.

Eventually, the black screen and the green lines of code turned to a pale red window filling the entire screen. It read in capital white letters :

_\- PROTOCOL 9 _ Error 403 : Access Denied. Get lost, sucker_ _:-)_

Artemis raised an eyebrow at the childish interjection. He was a little disappointed regarding the intellectual level of his opponent, but it didn't make him less determined. His eyes wore a terrifying expression, while he was assuring his proxy installer was ready. A cruel expression, deprived of the very notion of mercy.

_Once I am in the Wired, we shall see who the sucker is, dear enemy. We shall see._

The next five hours, Artemis had found two Zero-Days, but to no avail. Each time, his installer failed to launch quickly enough. Artemis massaged his sore eyes, harassed. His migraine was worsening every minute, and finding new Zero-Days was each time harder, as all the easiest options had been found before by his predecessors.

He suddenly straightened in his seat, but dropped back with a frustrated sigh. The third Zero-Day recomposed itself as instantly as it had appeared, and the same message as the last two times popped up on the pale red window :

_\- Nice try, but you failed :-D _ #dummy #sorrynotsorry_

As immature as that message was, and as composed as Artemis usually always is, he had to gather all his mental strength not to slam his keyboard onto his computer.

His opponent was an obnoxious brat, but an intelligent one. A brat who knew that most hackers' vice was pride, and who, at each failed attempt, would sadistically push them closer and closer to the edge of madness. Artemis didn't wonder anymore why Paprika, Lain and all the others had either given up or mentally collapsed trying. Under the amused eyes of their mutual opponent.

But Artemis wouldn't give him the pleasure.

He switched on his other computer. Obviously, his proxy installer was not fast enough. He would take the time to perfect it before giving Protocol 9 another try.

Suddenly, a knock on the door made him jump. He hadn't heard anyone coming – he was definitely tired. Knowing Butler wouldn't come checking on him uninvited, there was only one person who could be standing behind his door.

'' Mother, I'm in the middle of something right now. ''

The door bursted open, and Angeline, firmly standing on the threshold, crossed her arms on her lap.

'' You've been locked here for the entire day. You need to get some fresh air. ''

Artemis was furious, but his tone was calm and merely annoyed.

'' Mother, I… ''

Angeline's voice was also quiet, but a lot more menacing. Even Artemis' grandfather would have been intimidated.

'' _Artemis Fowl Junior_ , this is quite enough '', she said. '' You are thirteen years old, and you will do as you are told by your mother. _Right this minute_. ''

The young Fowl had already seen Artemis Senior try to retort when Angeline was in such a mood. It hadn't ended up well for his father. With a reluctant sight, he put his computers on standby mode and followed his mother out of his office.

After getting their coats, they went out in the garden and headed for the maze. Artemis realized it had been snowing for the whole day, while he was working. Though he wouldn't admit it, the fresh air felt good, and his migraine seemed to stop cracking his skull apart. His mother reached her arm to him, and for once he let go of his usual composure and snuggled into her embrace.

They walked side by side along the snow whitened hedges, in silence, enjoying each other's presence. Eventually, they reached the center of the maze, where there was a majestic gold and marble fountain and several benches. They sat together, and Artemis closed his eyes, savouring the sting of the cold air on his skin and the soft smell of his mother's violet perfume.

He was startled, even though she had spoken so softly.

'' My Arty… I just want to help you, but I don't know how… ''

Artemis turned to his mother. She was staring at the fountain, but it was obvious in her eyes and sad smile that she was in pain. The sting in Artemis' heart widened, and he felt bad. But what could he tell her ?

'' You don't need to help me, Mother. You are here, and that's all I need. ''

'' But I've not always been here for you… ''

The sting in his heart widened more. Artemis took his mother's hand. When she looked at him, he smiled, as warmly as he could.

'' I don't mind the past. You are here now, and you are a wonderful mother. That is all that matters. ''

Angeline's eyes watered, and she raised her other hand to Artemis' cheek, caressing it tenderly.

'' My sweet boy '', she said in a murmur, smiling. '' Why wouldn't we go in the music room and play together after dinner ? It's been such a long time. ''

Artemis hesitated. He missed those moments, too. He and his mother had the same long, elegant pianist hands, and they had always bonded over music, even through the darkest times. But the reasonable part of himself told him he wasn't a child anymore, and that he didn't have time to fool around with his mother. There were more important things he had to deal with.

As he was internally debating with himself, Artemis' smile slowly lost its warmth, and faded. He took Angeline's hand on his cheek, and answered her in his usual cold, business-like tone.

'' I am sorry, Mother. I can't. ''

He saw that she was hurt, but this time he didn't listen to the sting in his heart. Slowly, Angeline let go of him, and they just sat side by side.

'' Okay '', she eventually said. '' I understand. But don't forget I'm here. ''

After their promenade, Artemis tried to escape back to his office, but his fleeing attempt was confronted by another « _what on Earth do you think you're doing, Artemis Fowl Junior ?_ », and he resigned to spend the evening with his family.

.

At last, after dinner, he was able to get back to Protocol 9 where he had left it. The same insultant message was trying to taunt him, but Artemis was refilled with determination and he immediately sat at his other computer, and reworked his proxy installer. It gave him time to think about what Zero-Day option he could try next, and when he was satisfied with version 2.0 of his installer, he tackled to the task with newfound fierceness.

After three hours, he was at the same state of exhaustion as before his mother had came to take him out, and still no sign of the Zero-Day. If Artemis wasn't… well, Artemis Fowl, he would have abandoned by know. But one of Artemis' most unquestionable qualities was his pugnacity. The day he would give up on a challenge was yet to come.

Another five and a half hours of work. It was now four thirty a.m in the morning. Artemis took a ten minutes break to go make himself coffee – knowing that if Butler knew he was still awake at this hour, he would send him to bed _manu militari_. Yet, asking Butler to make the coffee was also Artemis' only way to make sure the coffee was actually drinkable. Artemis had obtained a somewhat thick and granulous mixture that looked like soggy mud ; but, even though he almost threwed it up, it had the merit to keep him conscious. And for the next time, he would remember that the coffee powder is _not_ supposed to be put _in_ the cup like a tea bag.

His throat acrid, Artemis sat back to his desk and gave himself an extra five minutes of meditation. Then, he replaced his hands on the keyboard, and typed.

It was five a.m when he found the Zero-Day. Eyes wide open, fingers hovering above the keyboard, he waited. He waited longer than usual.

Suddenly, the same failed attempt message showed on the screen. But it Glitched.

And then, another small grey window opened.

– _Proxy successfully installed._

Overwhelmed by a mix of pride, relief and excitation, Artemis became a child again. He stood up from his chair throwing his fists in the air, and started jumping all around in a very unlikely fashion from him, screaming at the top of his lungs from pure joy.

This accomplishment was nothing like he had ever done before – _e_ _ven_ the things he didn't remember having done. It was bigger than translating the Book, bigger than hacking the NASA at age nine or winning an architecture prize at age six.

In fact, it was probably the biggest and most difficult thing a human being had ever accomplished, since Hermes Trismegistus, the most mythical alchimist and scientific figure of Greek Antiquity, had discovered the Wired for the first time.

It was everything, and this memory was undoubtedly the moment in Artemis Fowl II's life where he had felt the most truly, profondly happy.

'' YES ! YES ! I did it ! I _did_ it ! _I freaking did it !_ ''

Butler rushed into the room in his pyjamas, Sig Sauer brandished, eyes panickingly checking every corner of the room for a sly threat.

'' Artemis, what is happening ?! I heard you screa… ''

The bodyguard stopped dead in his tracks when analysizing the situation. Artemis, in his state of emotional overload, laughed openly at Butler's astonished expression for a good ten seconds before, eventually, regaining his composure.

'' Pardon me, Butler, but by God, your face was a sight to behold '', he said catching his breath, tears still jerking from his eyes.

'' … Well, so were you '', replied the manservant, still having trouble processing what he had just seen. '' Are you… are you okay, Artemis ? ''

His young charge smiled the most vampiric smile ever, and Butler shivered. Instinctively, he strenghtened his grip onto his gun.

'' I've never felt better in my entire life, Butler '', Artemis said, his grin widening.

Butler looked at the computer, then back at Artemis, and even though he had no idea what was going on, he was terrified.

'' _What have you done_? '', the manservant murmured.

Artemis was touched by the sound of despair in Butler's voice, and chastized himself for his previous inappropriate behaviour. He also regretted not telling him about the Glitches and the Wired. The bodyguard cared, and Artemis shouldn't have left him aside. He readjusted his suit to look a little more proper, and looked at his bodyguard straight in the eyes.

'' I'm really sorry I scared you, and I assure you there's nothing to be worried about. '', Artemis said. '' Look, I have only one thing left to do tonight… well, this morning, and then I really must go get some sleep. But I promise that when I wake up, I'll explain everything. Is that a deal ? ''

Butler hesitated. His instinct definitely told him he wasn't going to like what Artemis would tell him tomorrow, but he also felt sad that seeing his charge in such a happy state had scared him so much. Eventually, he went to Artemis, and put one of his enormous hand on the young boy's osseous shoulder.

'' I'll be glad to hear what you've been plotting around '', the manservant answered, '' but I'll like it more if you keep me updated, next time you work on something big like this seems to be. I'm here to protect you, and that also means protecting you from yourself when you push your limits too hard. Finish whatever you need to, but after that, you go straight to bed. Alright ? ''

'' Alright '', Artemis promised. '' Thank you, Butler. ''

 _I'm lucky to have you_ , he added in his mind after the bodyguard had left him, closing the door gently behind him.

Then, Artemis turned back to his computer and exhaled deeply. Now he had his proxy installed, he'll have a few checks to run, and then see if he needed to create an avatar in order to explore the Wired.

Artemis sat and typed for a few minutes. The breach in Protocol 9 was closed, but the proxy was stable and accessible. It responded to Artemis' test requests even though his computer was lagging a bit. Artemis was too tired to notice the three Glitches that messed up the Protocol 9 window.

He decided that creating an avatar – a fake identity which he could impersonate while navigating – was a safer way to explore the Wired unnoticed. In record time, he had configured a fictive and faceless user, and left it as a .tab file in his computer's hardrive ; like an empty mask and costume waiting for him to embody it before entering the Wired's stage.

He hesitated for a few seconds about the name he should give the avatar. He didn't want to use his usual pseudonym of IBIQ for once. After a quick thinking, he typed six letters.

Selene.

**LEP HEADQUARTERS, BELOW GROUND**

Meanwhile, in Haven City, kilometers below ground from Fowl Manor, Foaly, the centaurian technological genius and consultant of the LEPrecon, was loudly crunching on a carrot.

He was rather satisfied with himself. Artemis Fowl's mindwipe had worked out perfectly. He had personally surveilled his favorite Mudboy three times lately, just to make sure ; and even though the human kid had triggered Foaly's alarm by hacking into the Kremlin today, nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. For Artemis Fowl's ordinary, at least.

The centaur cracked his neck, and eventually swallowed his carrot.

'' Yummy. ''

After this thoughtful statement, Foaly rolled his special chair to the other side of his booth, reaching for next day's paperwork. Nothing very exciting there. The centaur surprised himself regretting the time when Artemis Fowl was still here. The fairy civilization had nearly collapsed three times, but overall, it had been great adventures.

Foaly shook his head in the manner of a horse chasing flies away. Artemis had been fun back when he had all his memories, but he had also been public enemy number one.

The centaur rose up from his chair and put the paperwork on his main desk. Before exiting the LEP headquarters for a good day of sleep, he checked, as usual, all of his systems. One is never too careful, isn't that right ? Foaly checked the LEP core system, Opal Koboi's cell in Argon's clinic, Haven's global security system. And Protocol 9.

As he had programmed the supersecurity – an artificial intelligence, in fact – to be as annoying as him when confronted by hackers, he had set up a counter for the humans' failed attempts at breaking it. It was merely just for making fun of them and satisfying Foaly's gargantuesque ego ; there was zero risk a human – or even a fairy – could ever pass through Protocol 9. The centaur had encoded the supersecurity not only in the fairy quantic code, but also in Centaurian.

No, definitely, Protocol 9 was unbreakable. Or so he thought.

Today, the counter read :

_SUCCESS COUNTER _ Mud Dummies : 0 / Foaly the Supergenius : 15_

The centaur grinned. There had been 4 new attempts today. Failed, of course. He could even have the hackers' IP adresses if he wanted to, but he had never tried to. He already pitied the Mudmen enough, no need to embarrass them any more.

As you probably guess, that was a terrible mistake. But well, it was only the second irreparable one the centaur had made in less than a week.

Yet, when clicking on his score to reveal the detailed information, Foaly frowned. The 15th attempt shown that the breach in Protocol 9 had lasted twenty five milliseconds, which was sixteen milliseconds more than usual.

For a brief moment, Foaly had another paranoia attack, but he quickly got back to his senses. Come on, he _knew_ no one could ever break Protocol 9. His paranoia fits started to become unhealthy, and it was time he started to rely on reason and logic even when in the grips of his irrational fears. He checked the Wired, but saw nothing suspicious or abnormal. There, you see ?

The centaur set the systems on automatic mode for the night, and left his booth accompanied by the soft clicking noise of his hoofs. Protocol 9 was as secure as ever, but it just needed to be tighten up a bit, after all, the last time Foaly had updated the artificial intelligence was twenty years earlier. Artemis Fowl wasn't even a fœtus back then. The centaur smiled at the idea of a baby Artemis.

When exiting the LEP headquarters, he walked past the Recon officers' locker room, and he thought of telling Holly about tonight's incident. Then, he reminded himself that there had been _no_ incident, and that talking to anyone about Protocol 9 would be admitting he hadn't deleted the Wired when he was supposed to.

The Great Council had had him swear on his honor and on his Book to do everything he could to delete it. The fact was Foaly _did_ do everything he could. But it never worked. So while he was at it, why not keep using the Wired, if he couldn't destroy it anyway ?

There was no risk, if he was the only one to know about it and if he took care of not exposing himself to the Wired's side effects.

Well, once again, Foaly was to be deceived by his worst enemy : his own ego. For if he had even started to _conceptualize_ that there was maybe someone at least equally intelligent to him out there, none of this would have happened. Except this time, Foaly's mistake would have particularly disastrous consequences.

The most catastrophic one being the Wired's impact on Artemis Fowl's mental health.

–

* : _Let the Right One In_ by Tomas Alfredsson is the greatest modern vampire movie of the 21st century. That statement is totally objective.

(the two other best vampire films of the 2010s being Jim Jarmusch's _Only Lovers Left Alive_ and _What We Do In The Shadows_ by Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement – that statement is also totally objective)


	5. Database 04 : Entering the Wired

**Database #04 : Entering the Wired**

**FOWL MANOR, IRELAND**

When Artemis eventually woke up from a deep, dreamless sleep, it took him a few minutes to get back to his senses. He just laid there, curled up in his sheets like a cat, eyes blinking slowly and mind wandering. It had been such a long time since he had slept that well. And suddenly, last night's events stormed back in his mind. Protocol 9. The proxy. Selene. _The Wired_.

Artemis reached for his cellphone and checked the time. It was six p.m. With a slight cursing, the young Fowl pushed his blankets aside, a wave of pain crashing against his skull at the sudden move. His mother was going to kill him for going straight from his bed to his office, but he was too impatient to finally explore the Wired. He just wished he could have eaten before getting started.

As if telepathically connected, Butler chose this exact moment to knock on Artemis' door, and enter with today's lunch leftovers, an Earl Grey cup and a fresh orange juice glass. With a relieved sigh, Artemis settled back on his pillows and gave the manservant a weak smile.

'' Thank you, Butler. I have no idea what I would do without you. ''

'' Starve to death or poison yourself trying to cook, I guess '', the manservant replied in an amused tone.

Butler wished it was only a joke, but he knew Artemis wouldn't probably survive two days alone without anyone cooking for him. Yet he was too happy to finally get a smile from his charge to care.

'' I assume you were in such a hurry because you wanted to explain me what you've been plotting these last days '', the bodyguard added genuinely while putting the tray on Artemis' knees.

The young Fowl hid his embarrassment by drinking the orange juice in one gulp. Butler helped himself with a chair near Artemis' personal library, took it to his principle's bedside and sat. He locked his grey eyes to the young boy's, and waited patiently for the explanations.

While he was eating with an unusual appetite, Artemis exposed the entire situation to Butler, from the start : the lenses' mystery, his guess that he was under surveillance, the first Glitch in philosophy lesson, the second Glitch two days ago, his researches in darknet forums, the discovery of Protocol 9.

And, of course, the Wired.

When Artemis said the name of the Wired, Butler felt a ball of fear falling in his stomach.

He hadn't ever heard about it before, but he was more concerned by the way Artemis' eyes were feverishly glimmering when saying the word. He couldn't understand why his charge suddenly seemed so… _ravenous_. To Butler, the Wired only evoked an idea of something huge, but unutterable. Dangerous. Something that wasn't meant to be messed around with.

'' Artemis, if I may '', he interrupted. '' I have a really bad feeling about this Wired thing. ''

Artemis swallowed on his mouthful of parsley and chanterelle omelette, and took a few seconds of gazing into the distance, thinking, before answering Butler.

'' I understand your discomfort '', he eventually said. '' Hearing about the Wired for the first time seems to do that to people. I admit that it is still rather mysterious to me ; I intend to learn more about it, and I'll let you know of every discovery I make. But you can appease yourself : the Wired is merely a new form of digital network. There's absolutely nothing to be afraid of. ''

Butler was as convinced as if Artemis had told him he was going to take bodybuilding lessons. The digital world was the thing Butler was the most afraid of. _How_ was he supposed to protect Artemis from a virtual threat ? Guns and muscles were harmless against binary metadatas.

Artemis didn't notice his bodyguard's preoccupied look, and went on with his explanations. He cut short on the precise theories over Zero-Days and supersecurity hacking – he knew Butler would be lost anyway if he tried –, and told him about his plan of having the proxy encapsuled in an installer, to be launched into Protocol 9's breach as soon as it would appear, and be set up in the Wired afterwards.

'' Like a Trojan horse '', the manservant said.

'' Precisely '', Artemis grinned. '' It took several attempts, but last night I eventually completed my plan. Now, my proxy is ready to be my private secret door into the Wired, and my avatar will be my invisibility cloak. ''

'' Why bother taking so many precautions ? '' asked Butler.

'' Well, as I've explained, I strongly believe that even though I am the first one to break Protocol 9, I won't be alone navigating the Wired. I'm also convinced that the person who currently controls it is the same individual who has surveilled me for the past three months, and that he's also behind the lenses mystery, my recent unexplained migraines and insomnia crises, and the Glitches I have witnessed. ''

'' Simply put, if you catch him, everything weird that has happened to us lately is solved. ''

Artemis smiled nastily.

'' Indeed. And mark my word, I will make this abject stalker _deeply_ regret ever having the mere _idea_ to mess with me and my health. ''

Many adults wouldn't have taken Artemis seriously – after all, he was still a small and rather ill-looking thirteen-years-old with a disturbing smile. But Butler knew his charge well enough to know he was not only dead serious, but determined to put his threats into effect and find no rest until it was done and over with.

Whoever Artemis Fowl's mysterious enemy was, Butler felt very, very sorry for them.

.

A few dozen minutes later, Artemis had managed to sneak into his office without his mother noticing – he had to, otherwise, seeing how he had been sleeping for almost the entire day, she would never have allowed him around his computer for the next twenty-four hours.

Of course, Artemis could access the Wired from his laptop or cellphone if he wanted to – the proxy was connected to all his digital devices. But seeing how his _nec plus ultra_ computer lagged yesterday when simply sending and receiving basic commands to and from the proxy, Artemis worried that trying to use his cellphone to access the Wired would just melt the poor thing down.

So, the young boy sat in his desk chair, and switched on his computer. He had avoided all the security cameras in the hallway, but sooner or later Angeline would want to go check in his room if he was awake, and find his bed empty. Artemis' first glimpse of the Wired would be a quick peak, but it was still better than just waiting – especially since he was going back to St Bartleby next morning for the entire week.

Within a few clicks, Artemis was connected to his IP address jammer _Aegis_. As now was definitely not the time for his mysterious stalker to stick their nose in his business and find out what he was doing, Artemis would need to update his program a little bit. Right now, no hacker in the world could bypass _Aegis_. But his enemy was not just a hacker. They was a hacker with the Wired.

Artemis allowed himself fifteen minutes of properly reprograming _Aegis_ : most notably, he added a few more protection layers than the usual five. His actual IP address in Fowl Manor, Ireland, was now hidden under twenty different passwords, firewalls and fake IPs. Artemis had made sure his own address was unreachable, but that was not the sole reason why he was being so cautious. He was actually perfecting the credibility of his avatar, Selene.

In order to be a proper mask, Selene was to be a completely different person from Artemis. Only as intelligent as him, obviously (otherwise it wouldn't be believable that she had managed to break through Protocol 9), and that's why there were so many safety barriers in _Aegis_ ' system – there were only two, actually. Artemis' protection, and Selene's. The first six stratums were Selene's, just the right mix between difficult and easy enough to hack, so that anyone who tried would find her totally fictious IP address in Prague, Czech republic. Artemis' protection was the deeper part of the hidden side of the iceberg. No one would ever imagine there was someone behind the already so careful Selene, pulling the strings in the shadow.

But besides the intelligence, Selene had to have absolutely nothing in common with her creator. She had to be a full character of her own, with different motivations, values and even morality. That wasn't complicated for Artemis : he was a specialist in psychology, a master deceiver and an excellent actor.

Thus, when satisfied with the new version of _Aegis_ , he eventually connected to the program that allowed him to reach his proxy and send it commands, Artemis' heart was pounding, but not from worry. If he stumbled across anyone in the Wired, he was perfectly safe behind his alter ego.

Artemis closed his eyes, reopened them. He took a deep breath. Then, he typed his instructions on the keyboard.

– _Connect Selene to the Wired._

His computer emitted a painful moan when transmitting the command from Artemis to the proxy. The young boy frowned ; if this kept going on, he would have to give the machine some upgrades and modifications as well.

But then, a few lines of code irrupted, filling the screen, and finally a message appeared.

\- _Entering the Wired_.

Artemis' heart missed a beat.

 _This is it_.

In a matter of seconds now, Artemis Fowl was going to write human History. In this precise moment, he suddenly hesitated. All of Paprika's warnings came back to his mind, echoing and boucing back in his skull, worsening the migraine.

_The Wired eats your life up. It becomes an addiction._

Artemis' armour of confidence cracked, and in his usually so cold and composed eyes, there was a hint of worry. He was definitely safe from his enemy, but… was he _actually_ safe at all ?

It all lasted merely a few milliseconds. Then, Artemis was connected to the Wired, and all his anxiety faded away. Like everything else.

.

There is no word in any form of human language that can describe what navigating the Wired feels like. To anyone entering the room and looking at Artemis' screen, the Wired would appear as mere whites code lines on a black background. But that is not what Artemis saw. What he saw was the purest form imaginable of the Lovecraftian unspeakable – equal in underlying horror, but superior in cosmic majesty. But in the same time, it was _so_ much more than that.

Even Artemis, who, at the age of thirteen, already had more vocabulary than an Harvard literature and linguistic Ph.D, is still today at a loss of words to describe accurately what he experienced when entering the Wired for the first time.

He theoricized it as comparable to being in such a deep state of meditation, that you suddenly reach _full conscience_ of how vulnerable, ephemeral and miserable you are in the universe. Heartwreched, you become the infinitely small, gazing at the very eye of the infinitely big.

 _And it feels wonderful_.

For the infinitely big, if utterly terrifying and ungraspable at first, is not malevolent. It is merely an infinite number of possibilities, waiting for you to take it or not. In the Wired, the infinitely big doesn't dominate you anymore. It is here, within hand's reach, in all its beauty, all its complexity. All its power. Now becoming yours.

Artemis experienced this all at once, within the first few moments he was connected to the Wired. His gaze was rambling, heart racing at a frantic pace, mouth open gasping for air. It was like a trance, like dying and being reborn at the same time. He already was asexual back then, but Artemis was in a state of such absolute bliss, engulfing his entire spirit and body, that he knew he wouldn't ever have the need for sex in his entire life anymore. No mere physical pleasure or whatever thousands of endorphines his brain could produce out of it could ever come close to this.

 _This_ is _power_ , Artemis thought. _Pure, raw power._

And he began laughing, but not joyfully like yesterday. He laughed a hysterical, horrifying laugh.

 _Pure, raw power. In_ my _hands._

So that was Artemis' first entrance in the Wired, and, well… that was also the beginning of the end.

But right now, Artemis was very far from such concerns. After a few seconds – for, yes, all of this only took a few seconds – of being quite literally _mindblowned_ , he slowly started to regain a form of proper conciousness of himself and his surroundings, and he untensed his muscles, breathing heavily.

That had already been quite something. And it was just the start.

Now that he had somehow gotten back to his senses, Artemis reached for his keyboard, determined to try and see how the Wired was actually coded. It was the only way he could think of to understand what the Wired was exactly about.

For a moment Artemis was completely disoriented, and when he figured out why he couldn't believe his own eyes.

The Wired wasn't binary code. It was _quantic_ code.

Once he got over his initial disbelief, Artemis realized this made a lot of sense.

 _This is why Protocol 9 can reprogram itself so instantly ; and that also explains why my computer is_ _getting_ _so confused. The Wired's code is an assemblage of 0s and 1s ; it's just that it is_ constantly _evolving_.

Artemis was now convinced his computer would need a _serious_ upgrade if he wanted to be able to visit the Wired on a daily basis. And that was certainly his intention.

For now, he decided it was time to properly explore what was stored _in_ the Wired. That is actually a lot easier to summarize than the Wired itself. In fact, it can be summed up in one word.

Information.

But the Wired isn't just a mean to obtain information. It is a mean to obtain _every_ information. To know not only anything, but _everything_ about what you are looking for.

Exploring the Wired, Artemis felt like he was eight years old again, and discovering Internet for the first time.

He lost himself going from page to page, from one hyperlink to another, like he once did on Google and Wikipedia. Except here, there was much, much more to access.

In the Wired, typing " Pentagon access " gave him, within a few clicks, the updated list of passwords of all the American Defense department' archives. He immediately stored it on his hard drive ; Th3lma would never believe it.

Artemis tried on a few more requests of such type ; and then, like anyone online who doesn't know what to Google next, he searched for his own name.

He stumbled upon his MI6, CIA and Interpol files, but he already knew about these for a long time and there was not much more to learn than he already knew. It was more interesting to find out he also had a personal record in the KGB, Mossad and Beijing archives, even though it wasn't very surprising. After all, he had been quite busy these past years.

But then there was an agency he hadn't ever heard about. Artemis frowned, intrigued. What country could it stand for ? Well, there was only one way to find out.

So, Artemis opened the Artemis Fowl-labelled LEPrecon files.

He read it entirely a first time.

Then a second time.

After the third time, he was still completely astonished.

 _Fairies existed_. He had discovered it almost two years ago. And they had mindwiped him.

One might think that reading his LEP files would have triggered and restored Artemis' memories. It very well could have. But the thing is, the reports about the Artemis Fowl case, the B'wa Kell rebellion and the C Cube incident were very incomplete.

Of course, they had been written by Captain Holly Short for the most part, and also by Commander Root and then proof-read and completed by the centaur Foaly. There were also psychological analysis side notes from a certain Jerbal Argon. All these fairies were competent people, who gathered the many elements composing the complex case of Artemis Fowl as _professionally_ as they could. But thus, the files lacked some very important things.

The emotions.

Artemis was reading clinical notes and "objective" informations about a mischievious Mud Boy who had orchestrated the most desastrous ransom demand the fairies had ever faced, and nearly provoked their downfall "on more occasions that we could count", stated Root's report. Holly, on the other hand, described Artemis as a "twisted, machiavelic human being with zero to none morality" and a "floured weasel head" (but that statement had been crossed out, and qualified unprofessional).

Of course, Holly had wondered if she should mention Artemis' wish of curing his mother from her illness. But she had thought that this was a private matter between the two of them, and just stated that the young Fowl had eventually let her go with half the ransom. Artemis Senior's rescue was also mentioned by Holly, Root and Foaly, but within a sentence only, as an "exchange of good processes" in order to get Artemis' collaboration on the B'wa Kell's revolution.

None of the reports mentioned how greatly Artemis had improved morally, how he had voluntarily submitted himself to the mindwipe, how involved he had been in Opal Koboi and Briar Cudgeon's deceival. How he and Holly had eventually befriended, even if in a very… electric way.

Artemis only saw that he had first found a way to harness the fairies' gold, but that he had also helped them stop a rising civil war, and then prevented a despicable American businessman from discovering them. And that after all of this, they had mindwiped him – to get rid of him. To subdue him.

A cold, dark anger started to arise in Artemis' guts, burning its way into his heart and his eyes. His fists were clenched beside his keyboard, shaking. He was utterly furious. But surprisingly, Artemis was not furious at the fairies. He was at himself.

At age twelve, he had managed to discover that fairies were real, and then to steal their gold, which apparently no human had ever done before. He had made the discovery of the millennium, which could have had made his family wealthy for years long after he was dead, and somehow, he had let it slip away.

He, Artemis Fowl, had _renounced_ to fairy _gold_. And for what ? _Why_ ?

If he hadn't been so composed, Artemis would have shouted, or cried even, from shame. He had trusted the fairies – he had been _weak_ , and he couldn't even remember _why_. Against everything his father had ever told him, he had trusted his enemies, reached a hand to them and, in return, had been mutilated from his own memories.

Slowly, Artemis' fury faded, and became a quiet, determined hatred.

For a reason he couldn't recall, he had subdued to the fairies, and they had fooled him. They had thought he was done with, and for a moment, he had been.

But that was before he had the Wired.

Artemis was completely calm now. Apparently, he had underestimated the fairies, but he wouldn't make the same mistake twice. He was going to come back to them – but this time, for revenge. And he would be as cold, ruthless and without mercy as they had once been with him. He would find every fairy that had wrote even a single line of these reports, and make them _suffer_.

Especially one of them. _Foaly_.

The centaur was the one who mindwiped him ; and according to his quirky, mocking and paranoid writing style, Artemis had no difficulty stating that he was the one using the Wired to surveil him – and thus, the person behind Protocol 9's infuriating sense of humor.

The lenses' mystery was still unsolved though, as the apparatus wasn't mentioned in the centaur's depiction of the procedure. Artemis guessed that he had used it as a way to protect himself from the fairy _mesmer_ – but if it had worked, then why hadn't he found a way to get his memories back ?

Artemis shook his head. He had plenty of time figuring this out. He would spend the next days familiarizing with the Wired and being able to use it at the maximum of its potential – Artemis could feel he had merely scratched the surface of what the Wired was actually capable of.

Afterwards, he was going to use the Wired's incredible abilities to gather as much information about the fairies as he could muster, and then forge a plan. He would break one by one the fairies that sealed his shameful fate, and then he would destroy their entire civilization under their powerlesseyes, after he had sucked to the bone every wealth it had left.

And the first fairy on his list would be Foaly.

Artemis exhaled deeply. He had completely lost track of time, but he should probably go spend the evening with his family. But first, he searched the Wired for Foaly. Under the centaur's name, a glowing " WIRED ADMINISTRATOR" logo appeared. Artemis sneered despisely. So unclassy, but predictable.

Artemis reached for his keyboard, and typed a few coded lines and specific instructions about his proxy, with a sardonic grin on his face.

" You thought you could arrogate the Wired only to yourself ? " Artemis muttered. " Well, the throne has a new challenger. But be careful : I certainly won't play fair. "

Artemis spent a few more minutes preparing the battlefield. He had to be careful – Foaly had a lot more power than him for now, and it was unwise to attack him or try to hack his administrator account straightforward. But Foaly had a weakness Artemis hadn't : he was not protected. Why would he be ? He thought he was the only one capable of accessing and controlling the Wired. Whereas Artemis had Selene to hide his true identity, and the advantage of surprise to weaken the centaur, get through his barriers and steal all his secrets and codes.

Then, Artemis would become the sole administrator of the Wired, and no one would be able to get in his way to revenge.

Artemis pressed the Enter key, and watched as his malicious dormant virus infected Foaly's administrative rights. When the centaur would find his proxy and try to edit it – and Artemis had no doubt he would –, he would come to a nasty surprise. And Artemis would be there to ridicule him.

The young Fowl hesitated, but for now there was nothing more he could do in the Wired that wouldn't take several hours – and he didn't want his mother to call the police into his office. So, with a twinge in the heart, Artemis logged out.

.

The return to plain reality was strangely both hard and easy ; as if he hadn't really left, but it was somehow still painful. Artemis stayed in his chair, staring at the ceiling for a moment. His eyes were burning from having stared intently at the screen for so long, but even though it hurt more than usual, Artemis didn't pay attention.

He eventually got up to his feet, and nearly collapsed on the floor like a ragdoll. His migraine had worsen suddenly at the move, and the pain whiplashed so hard he almost fainted. Gripping to his desk, Artemis managed to wait until the pain quieted down, and then left his office.

He should have been a lot more worried about this, for this dizziness wasn't just his migraine. It was the first side effect of overusing the Wired manifesting itself.

When Artemis entered the living room, his mother, reading a book on the couch, didn't notice his presence immediately.

" Good evening, mother. " Artemis said.

Angeline raised her head, but her smile fainted almost instantly, and blood withdrew from her face.

" _Oh my god, Artemis, what happened ?!_ ", she yelled in sheer horror.

Artemis frowned, worried by the look in his mother's eyes. He raised a hand to his face, and realized there was something cold and sticky all over his mouth and chin. He stared at his red, wet fingers, surprised.

Blood.

Afterwards, Artemis struggled the hell out to keep his mother from forcing him in the Fowl's Bentley and straight to the hospital. But when she dragged him by the arm to a mirror, he had to admit he wasn't a pleasant sight.

His eyes blood vessels were exploded, and his iris' color was variating from pale pink to primary red. He also apparently had been nosebleeding for a good thirty minutes, and there was actually blood all over his shirt. Now he really looked like the main character from _Let the Right One In_.

Artemis assumed he had just been putting himself too hard this weekend, and that his body was just tired. He could have known better, after all he was a genius. He probably knew the truth, but wasn't ready to admit it.

Nosebleeding and sore eyes were the second part of the Wired's side effects.

Somehow, he managed to convince his mother he wasn't in mortal danger, but she insisted for him to go back to bed, and skip school until he was better. It was actually perfect.

Later in the evening, when Butler brought him dinner, Artemis had crafted a list of supplies.

" Artemis, you can't be serious ", Butler said without even looking at the list. " Your parents are worried sick about you, as I am. You said the Wired wasn't dangerous. "

" It isn't, Butler ", Artemis insisted. " I overextended myself and overestimated my physical strength. The Wired has nothing to do with my current condition, and… "

" _Jesus Christ, Artemis !_ " interrupted the manservant.

Artemis was genuinely stupefied. He had never seen Butler this angry before. At least, not to him.

" Do you really think I'm _that_ stupid ? " the bodyguard continued in a bitter tone.

Artemis actually felt offended.

" I would never dare think such a thing about you ", he replied in a quiet, shaking voice, without trying to hide his feelings.

Butler stood by his charge's bed, seemingly unsure what to say or do. He looked like a German shepherd who wants to approach his master, but fears to be beaten up in the process.

" So you certify me that the Wired didn't cause… all this ? "

" I do ", said Artemis, and he was being completely honest.

Butler sighed, and raised a hand at his principal.

" Let me see that list then. "

Artemis handed it over to him, and the manservant raised both his eyebrows after the first five items listed.

" Are you planning on turning your office into a computing bunker or what ? "

Artemis smiled innocently while drinking his soup.

" Not only my office. I also need to upgrade my cellphone. Oh, and my laptop, too. "

Butler tried to frown severely at the young Fowl, but he knew it was to no avail. Whatever he might try to do, he had no real power over his principle. Even if he disapproved Artemis' commitment to the Wired, it was his duty to do what he was told.

So, Butler folded the piece of paper and put it in his pocket. Then, he waited until Artemis had finished eating, and left with the tray and empty dishes.

Alone in his room, Artemis had to gather all of his strength to resist the urge to connect to the Wired again. It would be pointless ; he only had his cellphone, and it certainly wouldn't resist decoding quantic code. But it itched, somewhere in the back of his brain, and it just wouldn't pass.

Eventually, after a few hours of turning and turning in his bed, unable to get to sleep despite his weariness, Artemis got up and grabbed a book. He read it. Waited. Got up again, grabbed another book. Read it.

After five books, Artemis stretched his arm to his bedtable, and grabbed his phone. Just a quick peak. It wouldn't hurt. Intimately, Artemis was started to feel how wrong it was, but he couldn't stop himself.

When he logged on to the Wired as Selene, he could feel his phone burning in his hand from processing the information. And yet, he couldn't help but let out a relieved sigh.

And that is how Artemis Fowl got addicted to the Wired.


	6. Database 05 : Error 403 - Access Denied

**Database #05 : Error 403 – Access Denied**

**LEP HEADQUARTERS, HAVEN CITY**

When Foaly entered the LEP building in Haven's Police Plaza, the entrance hall was obstructed by a "mild scoffle" (as the official report stated) between a few officers and some members of the sprite gang.

A yellow-haired sprite in a Tinker Bell costume was currently strangling Corporal Grub Kelp on the floor, while another Recon officer was dragged all around the hall, clinging to his flying sprite's ankle as if it was the last slice of tarantula pie at the officers' cafeteria. The sprite in a cheap Peter Pan suit was trying to get rid of his unwanted passenger by throwing him on every piece of wall, floor, ceiling and living being he ran into, all while yelling insults that would make a swear toad blush. As Foaly quickly stepped aside from the ungainly duet dangerously flying over him, Captain Holly Short was rushing towards Grub Kelp's attackant. The Corporal's eyes were starting to squint sideways while his mouth emitted a weak sound – was he saying " _Mommy ?_ ".

Holly's boot kicked the floor, and she jumped, her buzzbaton tracing a perfect circular arc in the air, before crashing loudly on Tinker Bell's skull. Mid-jump, the elf turned her head to Foaly and gave him a warm smile.

"Hey pony boy ! How are you ?" she said joyfully.

Foaly laughed. Since their leader Tetrix Gamma had been arrested, the sprite gang had went absolutely crazy, and they gave the LEP quite the hard time, even though they weren't as dangerous as the goblins – they couldn't produce fireballs and had no interest in bloodthirsty rebellions ; actually the gang was more into infiltrating Disneyland parks and robbing mudtourists – hence the costumes. Yet, Captain Holly Short seemed happier than ever, as the raising amount of escaping sprites had subsequently resulted in more surface Reconnaissance missions, and she had also proved herself to be really talented in the art of buzzbaton nose crushing. Rumors said she would soon be promoted Major.

Actually, the only two LEP officers who weren't happy with the sprite gang's uprising were Commander Julius Root – who was never happy about anything but his horrendous fungus cigars – and officer Chix Verbil – who had never been very popular before, but was now completely unable to approach any girl at a dance party. The joys of racial profiling.

All in all, this day started just like any other day at the LEPrecon.

This is what Foaly thought, as he went to his booth and grabbed a carrot in his personal fridge. While he switched on his computers, the centaur was even whistling. Protocol 9 incident had quickly been forgotten, and soon everything had went back to normal.

But little did he knew that this day was going to be _nothing_ like any other day. Two weeks had passed since he had noticed the strange breach in Protocol 9. Two weeks since Artemis had discovered the Wired. The young Fowl had taken his time to plot his revenge and perfect his plan.

Within the spade of two weeks, the noose had been tightening around Foaly's neck, slowly, inexorably. The technological genius didn't see anything coming.

And today, the first step of Artemis Fowl's plan begun.

.

Foaly had been working for about one hour when he started to notice something strange on the plasma screens. He smoldered a yawn, and took a mouthful of coffee beans. He should really get more sleep. Or new glasses, maybe.

But the strange something happened again, and the centaur suddenly turned from being slumped like a bored teenager to straightened in his chair, nose centimeters from the screen, completely awake and focused.

That was definitely not his eyes playing tricks on him. For a brief moment, the data lines of the LEP computer system had… mixed up ? Blinked ?

… Glitched ?

Foaly had never seen a Glitch before. It may come as a surprise, but he hadn't even heard about it. After all, the Glitches were caused by an user investigating someone or someone's devices with the Wired – and for a long time, Foaly had been the only user of the Wired. He had never been Wired-investigated himself before.

But even though Foaly had no idea what a Glitch was, he was still a technological genius and pretty much a – if not the only… for now – Wired expert. He had also basically crafted the entire LEP security system almost entirely by himself, and he knew perfectly well that the detection of any suspect intrusion in the system would immediately trigger the city's lockdown. Unless, of course, the intrusion was _not_ detected. And Foaly knew there was only one way to be completely undetectable.

Within seconds, he had connected the dots, and for the first time in his one hundred and fifty years of existence, his usual smug expression disappeared completely from his face. His matte complexion slowly turned to milk coffee, and he struggled to do his anti-panic attack breathing exercises.

To no avail.

His hoof kicked the ground so hard that tiny crackles spreaded like a spider web.

" No ! No ! _No_! This is _not_ possible ! It is _NOT_! " yelled Foaly.

But deep, very deep within his stomach, he knew the truth. Once again, his ego had betrayed him. He had believed he was untouchable, had believed that no mind other than his could ever figure out how to reach and use the Wired. Of course, some other fairies, and even mudmen, had found out about its existence – something like fifty people over the course of two millenaries ; some had even tried to take Foaly's place, to break Protocol 9. But Foaly had always been the only one who knew how to harness the Wired's power. The only one able to pull the strings – he had made sure of that. Or so he thought. The truth was he had been utterly careless. He hadn't seen anything coming, and now, there was someone else.

… But who ?

Foaly bolted out of his chair and started walking around his booth, his right hand mechanically scratching the base of his skull to help him think. Somehow, the gesture soothed him enough so that he could properly think.

Who could that be, provoking the Glitches ? Infiltrating the LEPrecon computer system ?

" Opal Koboi. … no, she's still in the coma. The other morons at the engineering academy : not even an option. The B'wa Kell… by Frond, these goblins don't even know how to count to fifteen, how would they manage to break Protocol 9 ? ", the centaur muttered, eyebrows frowned. " D'Arvit… _D'Arvit_! "

Foaly tried his best to think of a Mudman or woman intelligent enough, but nothing came to his mind. There had been this German scientist from the twentieth century, or this Lain girl – an insanely talented hacker, who figured out almost everything. But the scientist was long dead, and Foaly had personally taken care of Lain before she could start to become too dangerous. When you have the Wired and fairy technology, it's so easy to make up a fake report and have a mindwipe set up. Except Foaly had "accidentally" initiated a full long-term mindwipe – the kind of mindwipe that turns your brain into something close to melted frozen yoghurt.

A pity for such a brilliant hacker, but the centaur couldn't afford the risk of Lain eventually stumbling upon the Wired again. Anyway, the Fairy Council didn't really care about that so-called technical mistake – as long as the human is alive when the LEP is done with it, and as long as the procedure is the less costly possible, the Fairy Council is always satisfied.

Foaly headed straight to his fridge, and swallowed three carrots in two bites.

No, definitely. There was no Mudman whatsoever that could possibly be involved.

Unless…

The name bolted in Foaly's mind, and it felt like a sudden Arctic-cold shower. The centaur shook his head, as if it could do anything to keep the hypothesis from being true.

 _That's impossible,_ he thought, trying desperately to reassure himself. _As always, I'm imagining the worst. But that would be impossible. I've mindwiped him._

A sudden knock on the door made him jump. Commander Root didn't wait for the centaur's approval to enter, and for once, Foaly didn't have any witty comment to welcome him with.

" What in Frond's name is wrong with you, you stupid nag ! ", Julius Root yelled, his face's red complexion truthful to his reputation. " Forgot that one of these microphones on your desk is _directly connected to my office_ ? I'm tired of your galloping around like you're rehearsing a carnival parade ! I can't hear myself think ! "

" You've never really been the thinking type anyway, Julius ", Foaly replied almost automatically.

That was beyond his control. He just couldn't help himself being excruciatingely annoying. One of his innate talents. Unfortunately, Root had never been a fan of Foaly's humor.

" What I'm _thinking_ right now, donkey boy ", the Commander groaned in a very menacing tone, " Is that if your hooves are itching so much, I might lend you my boots. Actually, if you would turn around, I would be _very pleased_ to give you one right now ! _VERY VIOLENTLY_! "

Julius exited on this retort, living a trail of fungus cigar smoke behind him.

" Now be quiet, for Frond's sake ! _And don't call me Julius !_ "

Foaly chuckled, and stood still for a minute. Pestering Commander Root had always been one of his favorite hobbies, and it helped him dedramatize the situation a bit.

It was definitely completely unlikely that the Wired's new user was Artemis Fowl. The human kid was dealt and over with. No, it was certainly a fairy, a fellow scientist with grandeur delusions. Whoever that was, Foaly would find him easily in lesser time than for a dwarf to dig a tunnel from his bed to his refrigerator.

After all, he had given himself administrator rights in the Wired. And that was something the new challenger wouldn't ever be able to take away from him.

Foaly cracked the back of his neck, and sat at his desk. He opened Protocol 9's window, and typed his login and fifty-seven characters password. He waited, for a few seconds, and then the familiar three words appeared on the plasma screen.

– _Entering the Wired_.

Even after so many times, Foaly still couldn't restrain a satisfied moan when entering the Wired. It just was so beautiful ; so powerful. And yet, so fragile. So easily lost.

He had to protect it. To keep it safe and sound from the malevolent hands that wanted to break it. To take it away.

A yellow counter appeared at the bottom of the screen, and the five minutes countdown immediately began. After he had been turned completely paranoid by the Wired's side effects, Foaly had calculated precisely the maximum amount of time he could navigate without taking any risks for his mental health. Centaurs, as intelligent they were, are also the most mentally fragile fairy creatures.

And Foaly, amongst all, was mentally very, very vulnerable.

Last time he had navigated the Wired uncautiously, eighty years ago, he had almost ended up as megalomaniac and insane as Opal Koboi. He had been forced to reside at Cumulus Asylum for two months, and had gotten away with a simple case of severe paranoia. Nothing uncommon for a centaur. He had barely been out for three hours when the Fairy Council had jumped on him asking for explanations. Since then, the Wired had been classified top secret, and supposedly deleted. Supposedly.

Foaly practised the Wired at least once or twice a month in average, and he had been for about eighty years. While anyone else would have struggled for an entire day, if not a few weeks trying out all the different keywords possibilities, Foaly had all the access codes he needed and knew precisely what he was looking for. It took him about fourty seconds to find a file, amongst the infinity of files contained by the Wired, that he couldn't open with _read-only_ mode.

The centaur had theorized that the Wired had two different modes : _read-only_ and _edit_. The _edit_ mode is the most powerful ability of the Wired – is it really necessary to explain why, as the concept is quite eloquent by itself ?

At this point, Artemis only knew how to browse the files inside the Wired using the searching engine – simply put, he was using the Wired in _read-only_ mode. As a regular user, Artemis simply couldn't access _edit_ mode ; Foaly had made sure that solely the administrator could. Imagine if this power fell in evil hands, what a catastrophy it would be !

Foaly's idea was simple : supposedly, there was not a single file in the Wired that couldn't be opened with _read-only_ mode, even governmental secrecy documents. If there was such a file, that meant it wasn't Wired-originated, and thus was most certainly the lair of the new user. A virus or an hacking software of some sort, probably.

The centaur enhanced the code lines running his thumb and index on the tactile screen, and frowned, intrigued.

 _A proxy ? Aw, so sweet_.

Foaly didn't even bother cracking his knuckles. He just went for a precise code line, and typed lightly on the keyboard, switching the proxy file from _read-only_ to _edit_ mode, and pressed the Enter key. His smug smile revealed his tombstone-like teeth. Once he would have accessed the proxy's complete code, it would be piece of cake to find everything he needed about this uninvited user. Then, he would delete his account, and ensure that this presomptuous person wouldn't be a danger – _ever_ again. The incident would be dealt with before lunch.

– _Error 403 : Access Denied._

Foaly stood dumbfounded for a good three seconds. Then, his cheeks started to blush like an ashamed and capricious child's. But he couldn't admit what just happened. No, he had probably just mistyped his instructions.

The centaur typed again, and sent the command.

– _Error 403 : Access Denied. Twat ;-)_

Foaly was astonished. As he tried a different formulation, typing furiously, his cheeks turning from soft pink to bright red, he wondered if the new user had somehow managed to imitate Protocol 9's code to try and ridicule him.

– _Error 403 : Access Denied. Moron. By the way,_ _I'm not a vulgar_ _imitation of your silly artificial intelligence._ _That was s_ _o easy to break, took me less than a weekend_ _:-_ _)_

Foaly could feel his teeth shaking. His cheeks' color could now compete with Commander Root. Something like this had never happened to him before. _He_ was the one making fun of people. Not the other way around, for Frond's sake !

– _Error 403 : Access Denied. Imbecile._ _Feels good to fail, doesn't it ? :-3_

– _Error 403 : Access Denied. Dumbass. Isn't the Wired wonderful ? Time to share now, right ? :-D_

– _Error 403 : Access Denied._ _Simpleton_ _._ _Nice try… too bad :-S_

– _Error 403 : Access Denied_. _Come on, you failed again ? Aren't you supposed to be a genius or something ? XD_

– _Error 403 : Access Denied. Is it possible ? Have you finally found someone smarter than you ? :-_ _O_

Foaly was crying. His eyes were burning from staring at the plasma screen, but he couldn't look away. He had always been a pacifist, and had never been keen on violence ; but right now, he wanted to find this person and kill them with his bare hands. He was sweating as if he had just ran a marathon. Blood was dripping from his nose to his chin, and a drop fell to his new grey pullover. His time counter indicated eight minutes of navigating the Wired, and the yellow font had turned to an alarming red.

But he couldn't give up. He just couldn't. He kept on trying, using all the hacking techniques he could think of. Nothing worked, and each time, the other user would taunt him more and more.

– _Error 403 : Access Denied. This is so sweet, you are just totally unable to accept that you have been outsmarted by a human ! 3_

Foaly punched his desk, and screamed in sheer hatred. Blood splattered on his plasma screen.

.

Above ground, in Ireland, Artemis, comfortably installed in his bed, his modified laptop on his knees, smiled nastily.

His dormant virus had worked perfectly. He had obtained Foaly's full administrator rights after the centaur's first attempt at editing his proxy ; but he just loved messing with his nemesis' sanity, and couldn't resist watching him fail again and again.

_This is for Lain, Paprika, and all th_ _e others that you just crushed_ _without even thinking about it_ _._ _This is for them._

He was severely nosebleeding and nauseous, but he could feel the centaur was just as well. And Artemis knew who, of the two of them, would be the first one to break.

Eventually, the centaur gave up trying to edit the proxy. A short message came mere seconds after.

– _You obnoxious D'Arviting Mud_ _Evil !_ _Who do you think you are ? I am the Wired's only administrator ! I'll find you. I'll find you, and I'll annihilate you._

.

Foaly's time counter now indicated thirteen minutes. The centaur started to feel dizzy, his vision blurring slowly. Then, the human's answer appeared.

– _It's been a long time since you have been released of your administrat_ _or_ _rights, under my good care._ _F_ _ind me if you like. My name is Selene, and I am the new Master of the Wired._ _You can do nothing to stop me ;-)_

Then, Foaly's screen went black. Brutally disconnected from the Wired, the centaur collapsed on his booth's floor, his entire body convulsing, eyes revulsed. He had lost consciousness long before his head hit the ground.

.

When Foaly woke up, he was in the LEP infirmary and surrounded by warlocks. Blue magical sparks were hovering around him, penetrating the skin and bones were it had been damaged : his skull and brain. Foaly had just had a major stroke. The high concentration of sparks around his head, and particularly his nose, made the centaur sneeze multiple times. He was still furious, but beneath his anger lied something else. He was terrified.

Foaly realized that if he hadn't been in the middle of the LEP Headquarters, surrounded by officers and highly-trained warlocks, he could very well be dead right now. He could have died.

Once he found himself able to speak, Foaly asked for the only person he could think of that was actually able of helping him. The only person above and below ground he trusted entirely.

He asked for Holly.

.

Since Artemis Fowl's mindwipe, three months ago, Captain Holly Short had invested her entire energy into work. She focused her mind on paperworks and trying not to punch Grub Kelp's face each time he would open his Frond-forsakened mouth ; and on surface duty, she forced herself to stay out of trouble, flying on the safest routes possible. She declined every mission located in Ireland, and made a deal with fellow officers so she was always accompanied when accomplishing the Ritual.

Holly was not scared of danger, or to come across Artemis' path. She feared that she would be happy to see him again.

Commander Root had been delighted by her sudden change of methods, and the rumors about her promotion to come were not unfounded. She was happy, of course ; but everyday, her instinct told her that she would hear about Artemis Fowl again. The thought kept creeping in her dreams, when her mind was wandering at work. In a way, she missed him, even though she couldn't stand him. There was something, deep in the Mudboy's eyes, that made her believe he wasn't as cold-hearted as he seemed to be. And he had made so much progress, since he had first abducted her. Even though he had been mindwiped, these improvements were still there, somewhere. Right ?

Simply put, Holly knew Artemis would come back, sooner or later. She just couldn't figure out if it was good news or not, and in doubt, she decided to ignore it. After all, he had been _mindwiped_ , and they had made sure there was no way out for him.

And yet, when she heared that Foaly had fainted in his office, and that he wanted to see her, Holly knew, deep inside, what he was going to tell her.

When she entered the centaur's room, he sent all the warlocks away. Holly was shocked to see how weak he was in his moves and voice, even though he wore his usual superior smile.

" Are you okay ? "

The centaur waved his hand in a negligent gesture.

" I would certainly feel better if these warlocks weren't sandbox doctors. I guess it could be worse, but they want to send me to the Argon clinic for one week. You realize that ? _One week_? How are you all going to survive without me for so long ? "

Foaly wanted to minimize the severity of the situation. He trusted Holly deeply, and needed her help ; but it was just out of his nature to take things seriously – or at least, look like he was. It was his way of protecting himself – plus, with Holly's tendancy to have very high principles (about ethics, and all these things Foaly knew about but never felt really concerned with), the less she knew about his actual involvement in the Wired, the better.

Holly rolled her eyes at Foaly's statement, and sat next to his couch – his horse legs made it complicated for him to be in a regular bed.

" I'm sure that even if you're in the hospital, you'll manage to keep an eye on us with one of these gadgets you have up your sleeve ", she replied. " Why did you ask to see me, anyway ? I'm warning you, if it's just about complaining, my desk is next to Grub Kelp's and I've heard quite enough to fill five registers of grievances. "

Foaly hesitated. Even though he tried to be as light-hearted as possible, there was no good way to put it that wouldn't sound alarming.

" … We are in trouble. Very, very big trouble. Especially me. "

Holly frowned.

" Could you be a little bit more specific please ? "

" There is… _something_ I discovered some time ago. No one beside me had ever managed to find it and control it. But now… someone has, and I think I know who it is. "

Foaly looked down. It was impossible to deny it anymore. There was only one individual in the world who could be behind this disaster.

" I think Artemis is back. "

Then, Foaly detailed his confrontation with Selene, and explained why and how he had been knocked out unconscious. He didn't tell her that he was supposed to have destroyed the Wired, nor that he was most probably the cause of Artemis' return after he had spied on him, nor did he actually developped what the Wired _was_ exactly, being as vague as he could. But he couldn't hide the fact that a human had hacked into the LEP's computer system in his own booth, and thus knew everything about the fairies' existence.

After Foaly's explanations, Holly stood still, her throat dry, horrified. A human had found out about the fairies, managed to get through Foaly's barriers into his system, and knocked him unconscious, _nearly killing him_ , in his own office in the LEP Headquarters. And Foaly said that this human was Artemis.

Holly shook her head, and exhaled deeply. She didn't want to believe it yet. She couldn't.

" I'll admit that this sounds _really_ bad, but… I don't know, this kind of psychological torture doesn't seem to me like something Artemis would do. Plus, he's quite the narcissist : if it was really him, he would have told you. He wouldn't use a pseudonym. "

" It's called an avatar, Holly ", Foaly persisted. " Come on, Selene is one of the Goddesses of the Lunar Triad, along with Hecate and Artemis. _Of course that's him_. Who else could that be ? "

" Precisely Foaly ! It is all way too _obvious_. He's not that… blunt ! "

Foaly raised in the couch, a mean look in the eyes.

" He has been mindwiped three months ago ! He has changed since then. How would you know what he is or what he is not, miss Stockholm syndrom ? You're his therapist ? "

Holly clenched her fists and made sure that in her menacing tone, there was no hint of how Foaly's remark hurt her.

" I'd watch my tongue, if I were you. "

The centaur seemed lost for a second, then fell back on his couch and sighed.

" I'm sorry, Holly. It's just… Sorry. I didn't mean what I said. I know we have mindwiped Artemis, but not knowing about the fairies doesn't make him less intelligent. It's possible he has discovered the Wired without having his memories, and once he was inside, accessed everything. And found us. "

Foaly was very careful not mentioning the Glitches – and especially what caused it. His eyes, reddened by overusing the Wired, watered suddenly, and tears rolled down his cheeks and lost their way in his goatee beard.

He looked so preoccupied, that Holly forgot all about her anger, and hugged him warmly. She had never seen Foaly in such a state.

" It cannot be him, Foaly ", she said softly. " Why wouldn't there be another smartass Mudkid out there ? It's not less probable than him figuring a way to sneak past our vigilance, and get his memories back. "

Foaly shook his head slowly, and brushed his cheeks furiously.

" You don't understand, Holly. You don't understand how dangerous the Wired is. When I first discovered it, I tried to edit a random file, just to see what would happen. _I delayed the creation of the human Internet of fifty years_. And that was just an _accident_. Now, imagine what Artemis would _willfully_ do with the Wired, if he wants to hurt us. "

Holly was frozen, unable to react. When Foaly had told her about "a superpowerful digital-but-not-really-just-digital-it's-more-complicated thingy", she was miles from imagining that sort of things. On the other hand, she was perfectly aware of what a malevolent Artemis was capable of, and the thought made her shiver. But there was no actual proof that it was him – and whoever that person was, it was a human. That alone was disastrous enough. But if it wasn't Artemis, then who was it ? And why attacking Foaly out of everyone else at the LEP ?

Holly stood up, thinking hard.

" Look, we can't figure anything out if we are still doubting. The user said his or her name was Selene, right ? Well, we have the LEP surveillance system. We'll try to find them. If it's just an avatar, as you said, then Selene won't exist in the real world, right ? That would prove it's Artemis. And if it's not him, then I'll have no remorse paying a little visit. With a smile and a big gun. "

Foaly's face lightened a little.

" Well, that's an idea. Let's try it. Go in my booth and get me my tablet, please. "

Holly nodded, and left the infirmary. In the corridors, she tried not to run even if her heart was heavily pounding. She felt torn apart between terror and excitement. She surprised herself wishing the mysterious human was indeed Artemis. She realized that even if he had turned back to his evil manners, she would be happy to see him again. After all, she hadn't punch him in the face for a long time, and these were her favorite memories of the past two years.

" _Captain Short, what are you doing here exactly for Frond's sake ?_ "

Holly jumped, her hand on Foaly's office door, and turned around, her pointy ears dropping in a slightly ashamed manner. Facing her, Commander Root narrowed his eyes, waiting for an answer.

" Foaly asked to see me, Sir ", she eventually replied cautiously. " He wanted me to get him some… carrots from his fridge. "

She mentally slapped herself. She was one of the bests on the field, but she was definitely terrible at improvising. Even as a child she had never been allowed in the school's play, except once – she was playing a silent onion, in the background.

But surprisingly, Root's face untensed, and there was even a slight, very slight hint of worry in his eyes.

" D'Arvit, that donkey ", he said. " I want to punch him every time he speaks, but I honestly don't know what we would do if he wasn't here. He's done so much for us. "

Holly was astonished. Root stood silent for a second, then got back to his senses and shook his head.

" Come on, Short, close your mouth, your amygdals are going to catch a cold. Go get these damn carrots, and get back to work. Just… don't tell him I said that, okay ? He's self-satisfied enough already. "

He heavily patted her shoulder, and headed back to his own office, leaving his officer still unable to believe what had just happened. Commander Root complimenting Foaly, that was definitely a strange day. Fortunately, when she came back to the infirmary with a few carrots and Foaly's tablet, the centaur was too eager to get started to see her trying to hold back a chuckle.

Foaly switched on his tablet, and logged on directly to the LEP system's hard drive.

" First, I'll check Protocol 9's archives ", he muttered in his beard, more to himself than to Holly, " I might find so-called Selene's IP address. If this address even exists, we'll use our satellites and check if there is a real person there at all. "

Holly nodded, and sat next to him, taking a bite out of one of the carrots. She knew she should be going back to her office, but she wouldn't be able to work without knowing what threat they were actually facing.

Foaly found the last Protocol 9's hacker's IP address in seconds. He smiled.

" This is a fake IP. Every self-respecting hacker has at least one. Let's peel the artichoke now. "

" Is that a real phrase or is it a phrase you just made up ? " Holly asked.

" It's a real phrase that I just made up ", he replied innocently.

After his first glimpse of the Wired, Artemis had perfected _Aegis_ and Selene's identity beyond possible – even managing to modify the IP address from when he had first hacked Protocol 9 and only had his usual five layers protection.

Thus, when Foaly, after a good fifteen minutes of slammering the tactile keyboard, had managed to bypass the eighteen passwords and fake IPs, he only found Selene's. He tried "peeling" further, but couldn't find anything. The centaur frowned, visibly disappointed.

" What's wrong ? " Holly yawned moodily.

After she had been watching Foaly working for a quarter hour, his eyes locked on the screen, she was starting to be rather impatient.

" I've found an IP address located in Prague ", Foaly replied after adding the IP into the LEP's database and search engine. " … Selene Lilia Novakova, Strahovska street. D'Arvit, this seems legit. "

Holly grimaced. Even if it would be a nightmare to have Artemis involved, it was even more worrying to face a new enemy they knew nothing about. You definitely _don't_ want to have Artemis anywhere else than on your side or out of your business, but at least, they were starting to know him a bit, have an idea of his methods and motivations. A completely new foe coming out of nowhere, with the powers of the Wired to account for…

Holly didn't, but Foaly knew that if that was to happen, they would need all fairy police force below ground, and he would be forced to explain the situation – to Root, and then to the Fairy Council. That would be the end of the centaur's time at the LEP.

And they couldn't afford the risk to loose him.

The elf and the centaur leaned closer to the tablet's plasma screen, as Foaly was manoeuvering one of the LEP's satellites to point it towards Prague. A full realtime map of the city materialized. Foaly zoomed into the image and both him and Holly said "D'Arvit !" when he got to Strahovska street.

The address was real. There was a small building there, and there was light filtering through the curtains of the third floor. Green light. Computer light.

Foaly and Holly exchanged a look.

" If Artemis had suddenly left his home for Czech republic, the LEP surveillance would have noticed it ", Holly said. " So that means Selene is definitely real, and that she's the enemy here. "

Foaly stared at the screen, his hands crossed under his chin, biting his lower lip. He shook his head.

" I don't know. I just can't believe it. "

Holly stood up.

" Whether you believe it or not, we can't just sit back. Whoever this Selene is, she definitely doesn't mean well. We must stop her at once. "

Suddenly, Foaly turned to her and grabbed her shoulders, a pleading expression in his sore eyes.

" Please, Holly… don't tell anyone about the Wired. "

" Foaly, sooner or later Selene is going to strike again, and you won't be the only one she'll be attacking ", said the elf in a soft but firm tone.

" Please, Holly. Not yet. I'm the only one in Haven who knows the Wired's secrets. If the Fairy Council learns about it, that I… _didn't tell_ _them_ about it, I might be exiled. Maybe even sent to Atlantis. And without me, we'll have no chance to win if Selene decides to reveal the People's existence or likewise. Please. Promise me. "

Holly hesitated, but Foaly was right. If they wanted to find out about Selene's motivations and save Haven if need be, they needed the centaur. The elf sighted loudly.

" Alright. I promise. I can always have your butt kicked later. I'll figure out something so me and my buzzbaton can interrogate this Czech girl. "

Foaly looked away.

" What about Artemis ? I'm still not convinced that he's not at least working along with this Selene Mudgirl. "

Holly wanted to roll her eyes, but she shared the same feeling. She stood thinking for a few seconds, then grinned.

" Mulch Diggums. "

Foaly raised an eyebrow.

" What, Mulch Diggums ? He's still in prison, why ? "

" You remember that Lady something's tiara's theft, right ? Well, I've been thinking about it for some time after the mindwipe. They have already worked together before ", Holly explained. " If anyone knows something about Artemis that we don't, well that's Diggums. "

Foaly clapped his hands.

" Well well well ! I guess that while you go have a… _muscled_ conversation with dear Selene, I'll try and get in contact with our favourite dwarf. Even at Argon's clinic, they have WiFi, so that shouldn't be too complicated. Sounds like a plan, right ? "

The elf and the centaur smiled at each other. The situation was far from comforting, and there were so many possibilities for things to go even more sideways. Yet, they were together, they had a plan. They had survived to worse adventures before.

That's what they needed to believe, anyway. If they knew what was really coming, they would probably just surrender. Hoping to save some lives before it was too late.


	7. Database 06 : Backup Failure

**Database #06 : Backup Failure**

**DOCTOR PO'S OFFICE, SAINT BARTLEBY SCHOOL FOR BOYS**

Dr Po was worried.

After their two sessions last September, and the boy's father's reappearance, the psychological counselor had only seen Artemis Fowl in the school canteen, and met him once or twice in the corridors. Even though he had been far less relying on aspirine pills since he had stopped his sessions with the young Fowl, Dr Po somehow cared about him.

The kid was exasperating, smug, and hermetic like a Russian silent black and white constructivist movie – in Po's opinion – ; but somehow, the counselor had managed to disconcert the teenager. He had opened a breach, and they had made some progress together – most notably, on the notion of respect. It was slim, but it was certainly bigger than what any psychiatrists or psychologists had ever gotten from Artemis Fowl before. Thus, the counselor had been quite disappointed to hear about the father's return – as seen from the disastrous influence this man had had on his son's psyche, Dr Po couldn't think of this miraculous comeback as good news.

Yet, against all odds, it seemed that Artemis had actually settled down after his family had been reunited. Even though they had stopped their sessions after the father's return, Po had noticed the young boy was different – he wouldn't say _happier_ , but maybe… appeased. As if some constant background pain, like a sting in the heart, had eventually faded. Healed, even.

It was only three months ago that things had started to go awry.

Dr Po had no idea why, but one day, Artemis Fowl just became completely withdrawn – of course he had never been the social type, but he had always loved tormenting other students or discrediting teachers with these sharp comments and witty retorts only he could pull of. And suddenly, he just stopped talking to anyone, merely answering when asked to by an adult. According to the teachers with whom Po had talked to, the young Fowl was even more disturbing now than before. He would just sit at his desk, face expressionless but oddly wide-eyed. Scanning everything. As if he was waiting for something to happen ; but God knows what was in the boy's mind now.

At first, the psychological counselor had thought the school staff members were exaggerating – that was before he crossed Artemis' path in the corridor, and, for a split second, thought he was facing a live action version of _The Corpse Bride_ 's Victor Van Dort character – only with penetrating blue eyes and a crueler expression.

Apparently, the young Fowl was not only acting weirder than usual, he was also truly in poor health condition. According to the school nurse, he was suffering from insomnia, and often skipped class because of severe migraines. She had send emails to his parents, who acknowledged her warnings ; but nothing happened. Dr Po was starting to seriously question whether or not they cared about their son at all, or had any actual educational impact over him. Both options were worrying to say the least.

And then, after the first December weekend, Artemis didn't show up at St Bartleby on Monday. Guiney, the school's headmaster, told Dr Po that the young Fowl was sick and would skip school for a few days. Soon, the few days turned into a week, then two weeks. The psychological counselor then decided to take things into action, and wrote an email directly to Angeline Fowl. There was no way Po would risk being called out for non-assistance to a person in danger, and whatever was on Artemis' mind, it obviously tormented him at the point where his health was at risk. It wouldn't be easy, but Po swore to do the best he could to help the young Fowl – whether he liked it or not.

Angeline agreed to plan a session for Artemis on the following Friday, the last day of school before Christmas break ; and Artemis certainly didn't like it. And he made Dr Po pay for the nuisance.

.

They were now both sitting face to face in the counselor's office, and if Dr Po had been slightly concerned about the young Fowl's well-being before his two weeks' absence, he was now truly worried. Artemis was still very ill-looking, if not _more_ than when he had left school fifteen days ago.

As for himself, Artemis paid zero attention to his counselor, and was entirely focused on his new cellphone – his previous one didn't survive the dangerously increasing daily connections to the Wired. Artemis was currently logged in, actually, and checking on his centaurian nemesis through Argon's clinic security cameras. Though he was thrilled to see Foaly at the hospital – for he knew the technological genius would now be powerless and completely vulnerable –, some deeply buried part of himself couldn't help but feel… guilty.

_He almost died. I never meant to hurt him physically._

… _Or did I ?_

While Artemis was lost in his thoughts, Dr Po's concern for the young boy grew bigger and bigger by the minute.

Artemis had always had an insatiable lust for knowledge, even greater than for gold. That was precisely, before everything else he was capable of, what made him so dangerous. And now that he had the Wired, he was virtually omniscient.

Yet, he had no idea of what he actually _looked like_ when navigating the Wired.

But now, Dr Po did.

The counselor shifted uneasily in his seat, as he realized he wasn't just irritated by the young boy's insolence – phones were supposed to be forbidden during a session. No, it was not irritation that made his heart beat faster – it was fear. Actually, Po realized that "disturbing" wasn't fit to describe Artemis Fowl as he was seeing him right now. The correct word was… _creepy_.

The session had started merely five minutes ago, and since the moment he had been seated Artemis had been connected to the Wired – _and he hadn't blinked once_. His eyes' exploded blood vessels gave his sclera a sick red shade, but he didn't blink. He sat still as a statue, muscles tensed and eyes locked to the phone's screen ; only his pupils moved, slightly but extremely fast, as he was following the falling lines of code streaming down his cellphone's interface. Three more minutes, and he would start nosebleeding.

Dr Po was now utterly frightened. He had no idea what was on the young Fowl's cellphone right now, but he could feel it was _not natural_.

Suddenly, he violently hit his chair's armrest with his clenched fist. At first, he thought Artemis hadn't even heard it, but then, slowly, the young boy raised his eyes, his look so murderous that for a split second, the counselor felt like he had interrupted a vampire's meal and was soon going to become the dessert. But Po managed to keep his composure straight – come on, the kid was merely thirteen, there was no reason to be intimidated at all –, and his voice was actually pretty firm and autoritary when he spoke.

" Young man, you are perfectly aware cellphones are not allowed during our sessions. Would you mind letting it go for a few minutes, please ? "

Artemis slowly put the phone face down on his lap, crossing his hands upon it, and granted the counselor with a contemptuous and impenetrable look. Po sighted.

" I can see you have absolutely no desire to be here at all, but your mother and I felt like you needed to talk to someone. What do you feel about this ? "

" It is a complete waste of time. Yours as much as mine ", Artemis replied icily.

That wasn't entirely true. Artemis actually had a little plan in order to allow the psychologist to actually prove himself useful.

On the other hand, he was truly furious at his mother. She hadn't consulted him on the matter despite the fact he was the first one to be concerned. She had been plotting behind his back with this ridiculous counselor, and presented him with the done deal when it was too late for him to do anything but obey.

Once again, she had forgotten who her son actually was, and infantilized him.

But fair enough. If his own mother couldn't be trusted, then he would control any email or text she would write that involved him. Of course he had done that before, sometimes – but as she seemed to have no respect for him, then he felt no remorse disrespecting her anymore. And now that he had the Wired, she wouldn't notice, anyway.

Dr Po took a few notes, and tried to look at the young boy's eyes without flinching.

" Okay, well, speaking of time, it's been a while since I've last seen you here. How have you been doing ? " he asked.

" Exquisite ", Artemis replied, his fingers tapping his cellphone's plastic shell to express his boredom. He gave the counselor a complacent smile. " What next ? The weather, or the food I've had for breakfast ? I'm sure you can manage to feature these fascinating revelations in _Psychology Today_. "

 _God, I had forgotten how annoying he is_ , thought Po in an effort not to insult the teenager.

" Why don't you tell me about your father instead ? Aren't you happy to have him back ? "

Artemis maintained his superior smile, but his tone slightly hardened.

" Of course I am. "

Po raised an eyebrow.

" It doesn't really seem like you are. What's wrong ? Last time we talked about your father, you seemed to care a lot about him. "

" What child wouldn't care for his missing father ? " Artemis replied matter-of-factly. " Or have you decided, like your previous colleague, that I was a sociopath ? "

" I don't think you are a sociopath, Artemis ", Po said. _Well, I didn't until today, now I'm not so sure_. " Or is it what you want me to believe ? "

" Ask me why the girl killed her own sister, after she fell in love with an unknown man at her father's funeral, and you'll see ", Artemis retorted.

Po swallowed. The classical test to detect psychopaths. It had been invented by an American psychologist who interviewed serial killers.

" Why did the girl kill her own sister ? " the counselor asked, even though he knew it was pointless.

Artemis's smile widened, revealing his teeth.

" Because she is an idiot. She should have killed her uncle, and not her sister. Why would her sister know the man and not her, if this is her father's funeral ? That would be random, to say the least. "

Po took several notes, a drop of sweat rolling down the back of his neck.

" Impressive, Artemis, very impressive, as usual… "

The counselor put his pen down. He realized how old and tired he was, and wondered why he had insisted for the young Fowl to come here in the first place.

" Aren't you ever tired of being so lonely ? " he asked bluntly. " Doesn't that exhaust you to have no friend at all ? "

Artemis raised an interrogating eyebrow.

" That wasn't a very delicate way to put it, Doctor. Would you happen to be projecting your own frustration and life disillusions upon me ? How unprofessional. "

Po realized he hadn't been romantically involved with anyone over the last three years, and that since his best friends had moved to Limerick he hardly went out on Saturday nights anymore.

The boy was good. He might actually make a great psychiatrist, wasn't he so stubbornly selfish and individualist.

" Why are you looking at me like this, Doctor ? I thought it was you who wanted to have me here ", Artemis said innocently.

Po pinched the tip of his nose and sighed, completely discouraged.

" I don't understand. We had actually made some progress, last September. How has it all vanished already ? "

Artemis frowned. Last September ? He didn't recall any improvement whatsoever in the two sessions with Dr Po from last September. Was the counselor really becoming precociously senile ?

Po noticed Artemis' confused expression, and found himself at a loss of words. What on Earth was going on ?

" … These sessions _did_ happen, right ? " the counselor asked in an unsecure voice.

For once, Artemis didn't answer Po's disarray with a disdainful repartee.

" Yes, of course. But what are you talking about ? "

Dr Po reached for his laptop and went through his numerised notes and Artemis' file, bewildered.

" We… we had an argument… about the notion of respect. I told you that your problem was that you didn't respect anyone enough to treat them as an equal, and… next session, when I asked you if anyone had managed to get your respect, you said… _For Christ's sake, don't you remember ?_ "

If Po had raised his eyes from his computer, he would have seen that Artemis' gaze had dangerously switched from anxious and confused to coldly hainous. No, he didn't remember, but he knew precisely why.

Artemis took his cellphone and switched the Wired on, blood pumping through his veins. This masquerade had been going on long enough. If he wanted to get closer to his revenge against the fairies, he would have to learn how to master the Wired's _edit_ mode powers. He had learned about it when reading through all of Foaly's notes - which the centaur used to keep in his diary, encrypted directly in the Wired. Artemis had some personal theories about the possibilities of _edit_ mode ; he only needed someone to test these on.

And that was precisely his plan.

Taking advantage of the counselor's inattention – Po was too busy running along Artemis' file, to try and understand why the young boy couldn't remember the _only_ important thing he had learned at St Bartleby –, Artemis infiltrated Po's computer, and found the folder where the doctor kept his official documents. As expected, it included his psychology diploma.

With a single tapping on his tactile cellphone's touchpad, Artemis instantly _replaced_ the neuroscience and social psychology Trinity College degree with a coarsely disguised fake he had previously crafted. Then, he searched the counselor's mailing list, picked another student's parents' email and send headmaster Guiney an extremely virulent complain about Po's "outrageous incompetence".

With other parents email adresses, he sent a few more infuriated messages, including one deliberately stating that the counselor "had probably found his degree in a surprise package ". Not very subtle, but Guiney was about as smart as a gorilla and his brain was certainly about the same size as a peanut, so better be straightforward. Of course, with the help of the Wired, Artemis controlled that the emails would be sent at differents times along the day, seemingly an hour or so after each students' sessions.

Then, he logged out of the Wired, and the session ended some moments after – Po, after seeing what seemed like a defect on his laptop's screen, had decided he was too tired for the session to go any further ; and he had, anyway, understood that he was completely useless. Whatever Artemis was up to, Po couldn't help him.

Artemis exited the counselor's office with a soft, self-satisfied smile on his face. If his hypothesis was correct, the Wired had the ability to link together identical files. So, theorically, if Guiney now checked the numerised copy of Po's diploma, the one he had hired him with and which was stored in the school's database, he should find Artemis' fake version. If he was wrong, nothing would happen.

But if he was, that would be fun, at the very least.

.

After his session with Dr Po, Artemis forced himself to go at the school canteen and, even though he usually ate very little red meat, he took a full plate of sirloin steak and spinach. Seeing how he almost systematically nosebled each time he used the Wired, he needed to absorbe as much iron as he could if he didn't want to end up completely anemic.

With a little more than two weeks of daily use, and the accumulation of aggravating symptoms, Artemis couldn't ignore his addiction to the Wired anymore. The reasonable part of himself screamed that he should warn Butler, try to reduce his visits into the Wired, that this was the wise thing to do.

But even though Artemis was one of the smartest living human being worldwide, there was one thing he would never admit to himself : maybe he was smart, but he certainly _wasn't_ wise. Thus, when given the choice to obtain undefeatable and godlike powers, or put his physical health and sanity first… it is unfortunately easy to guess which option was his priority.

After lunch, Artemis had one hour of Philosophy lesson with the senior group, then two hours of Maths with his regular class. He decided that his second test of the Wired's _edit_ mode powers would take place during the Maths lesson.

Professor Tarkovski's lesson was about the Greek notion of _hubris_ , which he illustrated with the examples of Marcus Antonius, Icarus, and even Lucifer ; but once again, as his thoughts were entirely devoid to the Wired and planning next hour's action, Artemis didn't listen. And once again, that would prove to be a pity.

If he respected his Philosophy teacher, Artemis had much less consideration for Mr Murphy, his class's head teacher, who also ran the Mathematics lessons. When entering the classroom, the young Fowl didn't even bother trying to seem involved : he went for the furthest desk at the end of the room, and only took out his pencil case – for good measure. He wasn't risking anything : Mr Murphy had long since abandoned the idea of interrogating Artemis about the lesson, knowing he would either give him a perfect answer – even if he hadn't been listening –, or straightforwardly ridicule him by correcting a mistake in the problem's formulation.

Artemis just sat there, and watched as his classmates hurriedly and noisily filled the classroom. Each one of them glared at him, not trying to hide their fear or contempt, and sat as far from the young Fowl as the small number of desks allowed. As Mr Murphy silenced the class and began the lesson, Artemis allowed himself a nasty grin. These poor teenagers, thinking that a few feet distance would keep them safe from him.

He pulled out his cellphone from his pocket, and logged on to the Wired. The same overwhelming feeling of ecstasy at having absolute power at the tip of the fingers crushed upon him, but he had long learned to restrain himself even under extreme emotional pressure. He merely shivered delightfully, and nobody noticed anything.

After a few moments – the time for his heartbeat to settle back down –, Artemis started tapping silently on the phone's touchpad. Soon, he had an overview of the entire room's digital devices. He now had access to each of his classmates' cellphones' applications – including the text messages history.

Even if he despised them, Artemis knew his classmates perfectly. He had studied them, and knew precisely the class' different friends groups, each group's nemesis, who hated who, and vice versa. Artemis' eyes were filled with sadistic anticipation as he was running through everyone's texts feed, and as he selected the most embarassing photos and messages he could find – secret love stories, atrocious betrayals, terrible secrets. Enough plot twists for an entire telenovela.

Feeling absolutely no compassion for the twenty-four teenage lives and friendships he was going to destroy in about three seconds, Artemis finished typing his instructions, and sent the command.

This morning, he had tried to see if the Wired could replace an existing file ; now, he would test the Wired's ability to _switch_ together existing files.

At first, the class remained undisturbed. Then, all the students' phones buzzed lightly at the same moment, making everyone raise their head from their notebooks with surprise. Focused on his blackboard, and almost completely deaf, Mr Murphy hadn't heard anything and was continuing the lesson with the same monotone voice. Whispers slowly arose around the classroom, and eventually some students discreetly checked their cellphones.

A chubby brown-haired boy, three desks away from Artemis, gasped in horror, his ears instantly becoming bright red. Across the room, his best friend just stared at his phone, paler than his uniform's shirt. Two others were comparing the message they had just received, and snorted meanly, glancing at a small blonde fourteen years old in the front rank.

Artemis could only see the blonde student's back, but as his shoulders slowly started to tremble, his phone in his hands, Artemis guessed that the boy was crying. Somewhere in the left corner of the classroom, an argument was already starting between four members of the football team, and Griffith, the leader of the group and one of the most abject person Artemis had ever met, suddenly stood up and _spat_ at his neighbour's face.

" Fucking faggot ! ", he said with a disgusted voice.

And then, it was chaos.

Erasers and notebooks were thrown around, some students trying to disappear under their desk while others were up, ready to fight whoever had backstabbed them. Everyone was either screaming insults or breaking into tears, and Mr Murphy just stood at the blackboard, stupefied at the sudden rebellion, mouth open in shock. Finally, when the brown-haired chubby boy's friend rushed across the room and punched him in the face, the teacher awoke from his initial stupor and tried to regain control of the teenagers.

" Quiet ! _Quiet ! I said QUIET !_ " he yelled furiously, barely covering the ambient cacophony. " _What is going on here ? Who started that ?_ _EVERYONE JUST SHUT UP !_ "

Of course, a few hours later, when everyone would have calmed down, the suspect they would all think about first would be Artemis. But as always, the Wired hacking was totally untraceable. Artemis had even leaked some messages that concerned him, so it wouldn't seem like he had been spared by the apocalypse – it didn't matter to him, as it was not like he cared at all about being called "Left Foot Fowl", a nickname that both mocked his poor athletic skills and his suspected homosexuality. The play on words was merely childish, and truly didn't deserve Artemis' attention – enough though he now had the name of the student who had started it. But as it was the football team member who was actually secretly in love with Griffith, Artemis thought the situation was already dealt with.

Eventually, Mr Murphy directly called headmaster Guiney, and calm was slowly and painfully restored. Before the two adults could start asking questions, Artemis raised his hand, and was given permission to go to the bathroom due to his nosebleeding.

Facing his reflexion in the dusty mirror, Artemis gave himself a thrilled, victorious smile. Drained by the water, his blood faded down the sink, leaving a rosy trail on the white enamel.

Even in the deeply buried part of himself, Artemis felt absolutely no remorse.

A few hours later, his first theory about the Wired was also to be verified. It was dinnertime, and the entire school was reunited in the huge nineteenth century dining room. The incident that occurred during Mr Murphy's lesson was already on everyone's lips amongst the students – especially since Griffith had been suspended and another student had ended up in the infirmary, after his best friend had broken his nose.

Artemis, sitting alone at the very end of one of the two massive tables, didn't listen to any of the theories about who might be the anonymous hacker who jeopardized the Maths lesson. He was focused on the teachers, who were installed and vividly discussing at the back of the dining room, on a separate table from the teenagers'. He couldn't hear their conversation from where he was, but he didn't need to. He knew perfectly what they were talking about : two seats were empty. Headmaster Guiney's, and Dr Po's.

When the dessert was served, Guiney entered the dining room discreetly and headed for the teachers' table. Artemis sniggered, a dangerous glow in his reddened eyes. Guiney was alone.

Dr Po didn't show up ; and Artemis never saw him again.

.

Later, on the same evening, Artemis locked himself up in his bedroom. The dormitory supervisors generally preferred playing poker rather than actually inspecting the boys' rooms and do what they were paid for, but he couldn't take any risks. The two tests he had successfully conducted today were small and with little impact. But now, he had access to his upgraded laptop, and it was time for some truly wide-ranging experiences.

After a hot shower, Artemis sat at his desk, and opened the laptop. While the machine turned itself on with a soft purr, the young Fowl pulled his notebook from his schoolbag, and opened it at the last page. With his silver fountain pen, marked with his initials, he gracefully crossed out two lines on a six entries list : _replace existing file with a counterfeit_ and _swap existing files_. He took a few notes, in the same elegant and delicate handwriting, and closed the notebook. He switched off the desk lamp, and turned to face his computer. In the dark, the green screen light accentuated the severeness of his features, the madness in his twisted smile, and the puffiness of the dark circles under his destroyed eyes.

More than ever, he looked like the mere shadow of his former self. A sharp, evil shadow.

Artemis exhaled, and started typing. Now for the next two options : _remotely activate an existing file's features_ , and _modify an existing file_. Artemis decided to go for the latter first : he had more or less planned the same kind of test than with Po, except it would be on a much bigger scale.

The young Fowl cracked his knuckles, and entered Selene's login and password. Hands shaking from excitation, he waited for the three precious words to come up, with the same impatience in his sick eyes than a heroin addict who stares at his drug, while pressing the syringe's piston.

– _Entering the Wired_.

As he was alone, Artemis didn't bother concealing a genuine moan of pleasure, and laid back on his chair, loudly catching his breath, eyelids still fluttering. The intensity of that sensation. The purity of true power. Each time felt just like the first – except now, Artemis knew that the Wired was entirely his, and his only. How he understood why Foaly had kept it secret for so long. But the centaur's reign was over, and Artemis' had barely just begun.

He regained his composure quickly, and within a few clicks, he was inside the London Stock Exchange's database. He had a very specific idea of which file he wanted to alter – after all, while he was at it, why not combine the pleasant and the useful ?

And thus, Artemis modified the world price of gold.

He just edited the numbers, and gold's price collapsed instantaneously. In a different terminal, Artemis opened a Czech domotics entreprise's bank account, and bought ten tons of low cost gold. Of course, he had previously taken care of investing a large portion of his registered shares into the Prague-based enterprise. That would considerably sustain his bank account for the next twenty years. Then, the market numbers rebalanced themselves, and everything went back to normal. The entire operation took approximately fifty seconds.

To all traders worldwide, it would seem as if the world price of gold had crashed down and rose up in barely a minute's time, without any possible explanation. And somehow, in that small window of time, a small Czech enterprise had managed to make one of the luckiest investment in history.

Satisfied, Artemis took his notebook and crossed out the fourth entry on his list. When he turned back to his computer, he was more focused than ever. Today's last test would be decisive. If it succeeded, it would become a key part into his revenge scheme against the fairies ; and he would be the most powerful person on Earth. Unquestionably.

Artemis left the London Stock Exchange for Prague's top protection and security company's website. If he could afford some minor experimentations in St Bartleby, the majority of his misdeeds had to be set in Selene's perimeter, if he wanted to avoid raising any suspicions upon him.

In fact, he was starting to believe that even if he was suspected, not a single human organization actually had the power to stop him ; but it was too early to be presomptuous.

In the company's clients database, Artemis had access to more than five hundred private individuals' house alarms, and ten official buildings' security system, including two museums, the National Bank, four embassys and an hospital. As it was the most common option installed, and basically an on/off switch in terms of complexity, Artemis activated the fire alarms in all registered client accounts.

Then, he logged out of the Wired, and connected to Internet, easily bypassing the school's security. In a new tab, he opened the most important Czech information channel's live feed, and crossed his hands under his chin, waiting quietly. He would refresh the page about every two minutes, as composed as always ; but his heart was pounding, and his throat was dry. On this experience's result depended everything.

And then, eleven minutes later, an article popped up in the live feed. Artemis immediately clicked on the new link, his gaze feverish. As he read – he could understand and speak Czech fluently –, his lips slowly stretched into his signature vampiric smile.

It had worked. Perfectly. From his small bedroom in Saint Bartleby, Artemis had activated five hundred and sixty two fire alarms across Prague and its suburbs. The city's fire brigades would have a very busy night checking each alert around the capital, but Artemis couldn't care less. It had worked.

He closed his laptop, and went to lay on his bed. He turned to the window, facing the moon outside. For a split second, he wondered if he was going to wake up in Fowl's Manor bed, from the most surreal dream he would have ever had. But the Wired was real ; realer than anything he had ever done before.

Artemis closed his eyes, and allowed his mind to wander.

He had the power to infiltrate any network, fairy and human, completely undetected, and alterate, replace, switch the files, limited only by his imagination. He was able to take over any type of computer system, above or below ground. He could remotely control machines, institutions, maybe even weapons. A thousand schemes rushed through his brain at the endless possibilities the Wired offered him. Well, his power only extended to digital networks and devices ; but technology was omnipresent. You might as well say Artemis' power was almost entirely limitless, as long as he had a computer powerful enough.

Curled up like a little child in his cold, small bed, the young Fowl chuckled, and started laughing almost hysterically.

He was omniscient, virtually ubiquitous, and omnipotent.

He was a God.

 _The true God of the Wired_.

Overwhelmed by megalomaniac thoughts of the same calibre, Artemis slowly fell asleep. He dreamed of the fairies, and all the suffering he would put them through. Nothing could go wrong anymore : with his wits and the Wired, he had absolutely every variable under his control. Or so he thought.

For actually, Artemis didn't know about all of the Wired's secrets. And most importantly, there was one particular thing he didn't know.

To him, Selene was only an avatar he had created to navigate the Wired anonymously.

He had no idea that she was real.


	8. Database 07 : Avatar

**Database #07 : Avatar**

**STRAHOV MONASTERY'S ROOF, PRAGUE**

Last night, something very strange had happened : an anonymous individual had hacked into Prague's main security company's database, and activated more than five hundred fire alarms across the entire city. The majority of the fairies just saw this as a weird, but not very alarming prank ; but Holly and Foaly knew exactly what this was about. It meant Selene was getting stronger.

Holly had managed to obtain a special visa for the surface by searching through the Reconnaissance service's postponed files, and finding the perfect alibi : a small swear toads invasion in Prague's sewers. The total absence of prestige, plus the city's deadly winter cold : with such a combo, no one had volunteered for the mission, and it had ended up in the LEP department's archives, classified non-urgent. Commander Root had been a little suspicious over her sudden interest in the case, but Holly had had such an exemplar behaviour these past months that he eventually authorized the mission.

This is how Captain Holly Short found herself freezing to the bone, alone on the roof of Strahov Monastery, right across Strahovska street from Selene's building, in the middle of one of the coldest December nights ever. It was even worse than Russia : at least, during their mission in Mourmansk, they were wearing special coats.

Fingers numb, Holly activated her wings, and rose up in the air, openly cursing Foaly and his so-called heated suits. She waited for his sulky reply, but her communicator remained silent. The centaur was still recovering, and she was truly alone on this.

For a split second, and even if she had maintained a fearless facade with her centaurian friend when she had left him in Argon's clinic, Holly felt overwhelmed by apprehension. But she shook her head, trying to pull herself together.

She was a fairy. A LEPrecon officer. Last time she had been endangered by a human, it was because she had been ambushed ; because it was Artemis. But this time, she wouldn't be caught by surprise, and Artemis wouldn't be here. It was Christmas break in Ireland, so he was certainly at home with his parents, eating cakes and building snowmen replicas of Michel Ange sculptures.

Well, at least she hoped he was.

Holly shielded, and hovered above Strahov Monastery, examining the place accross the street. Selene's building was quite small – about four floors only –, and badly maintained : the facade was really dirty, and one of the windows on the fourth floor was broken. Actually, there was only light in Selene's apartment, on the third floor. Otherwise, the entire building seemed to be abandoned. Holly hesitated.

This was definitely very strange. How could a girl who lived in such a place afford the advanced machines she needed to use the Wired ? Foaly had explained to Holly that the Wired was quantic, as the fairy Internet, and even though the elf wasn't fond of geek stuff, she knew that handling quantic code wasn't something any human computer could do. Right now, she might be heading directly into the lion's den. What if Foaly was right, and Artemis was involved, somehow ?

Holly shook her head, and pressed the speed button of her wings. Whatever was going on here, there was only one way to find out.

The elf reached the fourth floor's broken window, and punched the dirty glass with her elbow, before jumping inside through the expanded hole. Normally, Holly wouldn't have been able to enter a human building uninvited without risking to loose her magic ; but Selene had been quite explicit.

_Find me if you like._

Holly landed without a sound, like a panther, and turned her wings off, all her senses alert, craving for anything suspect.

The first thing she noticed was the heat.

Actually, there was no way she could not notice it : there was _steam_ emitting from the flaws in the wooden floor. When she switched her visor into thermal vision, and looked down, all she could see was red and orange waves. She kneeled, and listened attentively.

There was a latent, menacing humming downstairs. A computer's humming.

Holly immediately pulled out her Neutrino, and crossed the empty living room, ending up in the building's corridor. There was no elevator, so she went down the stairs. The more she descended, the more searing and thick the atmosphere was. When she set foot on the third floor, she was sweating, her legs weak and languid because of the stifling heat. It was even more unbearable than the cold outside. Holly took off her gloves and brushed her damp fingers on her suit. She would need to have a firm grip on her gun, in case anything went wrong – and things were definitely going to go wrong, she was now sure of it.

Holly tried to open Selene's door with the Omnitool she had borrowed from Trouble Kelp – but it wasn't locked. There was even a "Welcome" doormat.

Holly hesitated whether or not she should try to take Selene by surprise, or straightforwardly burst into the place with her Neutrino brandished. She knew the first option was recommanded, but it was very hard for a fairy to maintain their shielding under extreme temperatures, and Holly was already starting to feel dizzy and nauseous. The elf sighed. So long for the discretion, then.

Holly unshielded, and set her Neutrino on the "crisped to a cinder" setting. She smashed the door open with her right foot and bursted in the apartment, her gun steady in both her hands, scanning her surroundings.

The room was large, and mostly empty. Mostly, because at the center of it, there was an _enormous_ computer core unit, with several monitors and a keyboard directly set on the floor. The heat here was utterly suffocating, even though all of the windows were opened on the winter night.

And, sitting in front of the computer, there was a girl. She had turned around when Holly had entered the room, and she stared quietly at the elf, not at all discomfited to have a gun aimed on her forehead.

For a split second, Holly was disoriented, for the girl was completely naked, and didn't seem concerned at all about hiding her nudity.

She appeared to be around thirteen or fourteen, but she was quite androgynous. Her face was… surprisingly ordinary, and her eyes of an undefined color. The only noticeable thing was her hair – dark, and very short, like she had been growing out of a buzzcut for less than three weeks.

In a way, the fact that the girl was so calm, and looked so normal, frightened Holly. She was expecting an incarnation of evil, and she was standing before a naked young girl. Was this really Selene ? What the hell was going on ?

" _Freeze, or I'll shoot !_ " Holly yelled, steadying her grip on her Neutrino.

The girl tilted her head. Her voice was surprisingly low and serious.

" Who are you ? A fairy ? " she asked in Czech.

" I believe you know exactly who I am, Selene ", Holly replied in the same language, her eyes narrowing.

The girl turned around completely to face Holly, legs crossed. The elf stepped back instinctively, but the girl truly didn't seem malicious. That was really becoming far too unsettling for Holly's taste.

" I assure you I don't. I can't see your face with this helmet you're wearing ", Selene answered. " Aren't you hot with this suit ? You can take it off if you want. "

Holly's Neutrino lowered. She was stupefied. How could this girl possibly be the same person who had almost killed Foaly and plunged Prague into chaos ? Was this a trap or a joke of some sort ? Suddenly, Selene's eyes widened, as she seemed to be realizing something.

" Oh, I think I get it. Has the other one done you any wrong ? " she asked.

Holly's blood froze in her veins.

" The… other one ? Who are you talking about ? _What's his name_ ? "

" … So they _has_ done something to you ", Selene said matter-of-factly. " I'm very sorry, but I'm afraid I can't help … Hey ! "

The girl had merely finished her sentence when she found herself lying on her back, immobilized and the Neutrino's tip only fifty centimeters away from her nose. Selene struggled, but Holly's boot pressed harder against her throat, making her face turn red. She gave up, and stared back at the fairy.

" You're hurting me ", Selene stated with the same quiet and serious tone, as if she was at a business meeting.

" That's exactly the point, sweetie ", Holly replied with a threatening look. " I'm in no mood for cryptic explanations. I'm a police officer, and you are suspected of serious hacking activities. You better have some good explanations, kiddo. First, where did you get this computer from ? You stole it ? "

Selene's eyes narrowed.

" I didn't steal anything. The computer has always been here. "

" Oh, certainly, and I am the Tooth Fairy. I think you don't get it, Mudgirl : _this is not a game anymore_. You have hurt my friend Foaly. _Badly_. And you will pay for this. "

" I told you it's not me ", Selene retorted. " It's the other one. "

" _Enough with the pronoun game !_ " Holly yelled furiously. " Who is it ? "

Finally, Selene's composure broke, and she looked confused. A drop rolled down on her cheek, but Holly couldn't tell if it was tears or sweat.

" I don't know. I honestly don't know. I… I don't know if the other one is real. But you won't believe me, anyway. "

Holly hesitated whether she should punch the girl or not, but her disarray seemed genuine.

" Tell me everything you know about this _other one_. Everything. "

Selene didn't move for a second. When she spoke, it was in a murmur, and Holly had to bend closer to hear her.

" I am a human ; I have parents, and childhood memories. But it feels… empty. Fake. Only this place is real. Nothing that has happened before is. The other one… _possesses_ me. I wait here, all day, and sometimes I wake up in front of the computer, and I know I've been out for some time, but I can't tell how long, nor what I have done. They just… contact me, they come inside my head, and I can't control anything anymore. Sometimes, I can hear the other one's voice, but… they never talk to me. I think they… I think they don't believe I'm real. But I _am_ real, right ? It's the other one who isn't, right ? But then, how can they control me ? _Why am I here_? "

The more she spoke, the more her calm and serious facade crackled, until she ended up crying.

" I am real. I _am_ real. _I am real_. … I must be… "

Holly stepped out of Selene's throat, and she watched the girl curl up like a cat, completely distraught, still crying. The elf was lost. This made absolutely no sense. But then, she put the pieces together, and everything became clear.

Multiple personalities disorder.

Holly lowered her Neutrino, and sighed. That was the only possible explanation. There were still some mysteries – like, how Selene had managed to get this computer, and how she or her split personality had found out about the Wired in the first place ; but even though she was insane, and seemingly very emotional, or even hypersensitive, Selene was still clearly very intelligent. And, with some time, and a proper treatment, they would certainly get some answers at Argon's clinic.

Holly put her Neutrino in its holster, and kneeled. She took out her helmet, and put it on the floor – the air was hardly breathable, but it was still better than being slowly cooked as if her head was in a microwave. The elf approached, and ran her hand down Selene's back. She was now positive the young girl was completely harmless.

" Where are your parents ? " she asked softly.

Selene raised her head, and looked up at the fairy.

" I don't know ", she said. " They were with me, and then a moment after I was here with the computer, and they were gone. You know, my middle name is the contraction of their names' first syllabs. _Ly_ dia, and _Lia_ m. Lilia. It's me. "

Holly nodded gently. The girl was still in emotional distress, and needed to be handled carefully.

" Don't worry, we will find them, and you'll see them soon, I promise. But right now, you must come with me, okay ? "

" _No !_ "

Holly jumped, surprised. Selene had backed up from her, and stood up right next to her computer, in a defense posture. Her legs were weak and had trouble supporting her weight, but her look was fierce.

" I am staying here. I have to. "

Holly was disoriented.

" Why ? I thought you wanted to see your parents. "

Selene clenched her fists. There was a maddening glow in her eyes, and Holly grabbed her Neutrino, ready to pull it out if need be. She didn't want to harm the sick girl, but if she started to go crazy, there wouldn't be much other choice.

" I do want my parents, " Selene said, back to her usual business-like tone. " But I must stay here. … It's my purpose. "

" Your… what ? "

" The other one _made_ me ; and they made me to be here. I cannot leave. I cannot betray them. If I loose them, my existence will have no goal anymore. And what does it mean to live a life without a purpose ? "

Holly was taken aback. Selene's delirium was worse than she had thought.

" I'll tell you ", Selene continued. " Living a life without a purpose, is meaningless. It's _inhuman_. I think I'd rather be dead than loose my humanity. The other one… is my mainspring. My raison d'être. I am just their puppet ; but at least, I am something. "

Holly put her hands up, palms facing Selene, in a gesture of appeasement. It would have probably worked better, hadn't she had her Neutrino in her right hand, but if she wanted to take the girl with her, she'll probably have to knock her down anyway.

" Fine, fine, you stay here ", Holly said. " No problem. "

Selene crossed her arms on her lap. She wouldn't be fooled that easily. Holly thinked hard, and came up with an idea. Maybe she wouldn't even have to knock the girl down, if it worked.

" You said the other one could contact you, right ? " she asked. " It must work the other way around, doesn't it ? Why don't you ask the other one if you can come with me ? Maybe they'll agree ! "

Selene frowned for a second, then her face lit up.

" This is actually an idea ! ", she said kneeling in front of the computer.

She started tapping the keyboard, no longer paying attention to Holly. Quickly, the elf sent a message to Foaly, stating she was going to bring a young Mudgirl crippled with mental illness in Haven City. There was no way she would leave her to go rambling around in Prague, with all the things she knew and her current mental state. But Holly would need all of Foaly's diplomatic help, if she didn't want to arrive at Haven's shuttle port and be welcomed by Commander Root's tri-barreled blaster.

She realized that if her career depended on Foaly's _diplomatic_ skills, maybe she should consider giving up her acorn badge straight away. The thought wasn't very comforting.

Especially since she kept having a very bad feeling about this. As if she was missing something important. And she just couldn't put out what.

" There, I've finished my message, I'm sending it now ", Selene said, still facing her computer's monitors.

" Yeah, perfect ", Holly replied absent-mindedly, still thinking.

Something was off. Her instinct screamed out for an approaching danger. Despite the heat, Holly felt a cold sweat running down her spine, and shivered.

" The other one has received my message ! " Selene said. " Do you think they'll let me see my parents ? "

Holly froze. _The parents_.

Within a heartbeat, she had reached for her helmet, and pressed the button that activated the voice-command option. Quickly, she pressed her lips against the microphone, and whispered Artemis' name. An holographic version of his file popped up on the helmet's visor.

And then, Holly felt as if her heart had stopped beating.

– _Artemis Fowl the Second – MINDWIPED._ _01-09-1992 (13 years old). C_ _riminal mastermind._

– _Known relatives : Angeline Lydia Fowl, born Sullivan (mother) and Artemis Liam Fowl (father)._

She immediately dropped the helmet, which bounced on the floor, swallowed by the darkness in the corners of the room. Within the same move, she pulled out her Neutrino, and pointed it toward the young Czech girl.

" Selene, I know who the other one is. _We must go right now_! " she screamed.

But the young girl didn't move. Her monitors were Glitching heavily. When she eventually turned around, Holly gasped in horror.

This expression. _This smile_.

That wasn't Selene.

Holly's Neutrino was shaking in her hands. Horrified, she couldn't manage to pull the trigger. The girl's vampiric grin widened at Holly's shocked face, revealing her teeth. When she spoke, it was in English, with a slight Irish accent.

" Captain Short, I presume ", she said in a cold, presomptuous tone the fairy knew far too well.

Holly pulled the Neutrino's trigger. At the same instant, Selene turned her gaze towards the gun, and pressed the Enter key on the keyboard.

The Neutrino's backup mini-nuke cell grilled instantly, and an electric shockwave ran through the gun and Holly's arm. Her body was projected into the wall behind her, and she collapsed on the floor like a ragdoll, electrocuted and unconscious.

When she woke up, she was in a fairy shuttle, surrounded by the entire Retrieval One team. Her Neutrino laid on a table nearby, completely melted. And Trouble Kelp's apologetic look told her that her problems had only just started.

**FOWL MANOR, IRELAND**

" Artemis ? Dear, are you okay ? What's going on ? "

Angeline knocked hurriedly on her son's bedroom door. The young Fowl had an exasperated sigh at his mother's insistance, and quickly logged out of the Wired before she decided to enter without his invitation. Such a disrespectful behaviour was dangerously becoming her habit. Artemis sat on his bed, dropping his phone on the carpet, and exhaled deeply. He had a dangerously deadly look on his face, but his heart was heavily pounding. He had just avoided a complete catastrophy.

He was certainly _not_ okay, and as for what was going on, he would be delighted to have the slightest idea himself.

He was having dinner with his mother when he had received Selene's message. The mere fact that his _avatar_ was sending him a message would have been astounding enough, if it wasn't for the message itself.

– _Dear creator, there is a fairy here who says she's a police officer and wants to take me_ _with her_ _._ _She's armed and dangerous._ _Please come and save me._ _Selene._

Artemis had felt the blood withdrewing from his face. Pretexting an emergency, he had bursted out of the dining room straight to his bedroom, logging on the Wired as he ran down the corridor. He had thought it might very well be a set up, or a trick from his nemesis Foaly ; but if it wasn't, the consequences could be so desastrous for him and his plan that he had no choice than to deal with the situation immediately.

And he had been very right to do so. Immediately after entering Selene's login and password, he had retraced her message's IP address, only to see his fears concretized : the address was indeed the one he had crafted with _Aegis_. The Wired indicated him that Selene's computer possessed an integrated webcam, and he hacked into it immediately. The scene which then occured before his eyes left him completely astonished.

Facing the webcam, a naked androgynous teenager with very short hair. Behind her, a fairy in a LEPrecon suit, Neutrino pulled out, a terrified look on her face. For a brief moment, Artemis felt truly helpless – everything was going out of control, and there was absolutely nothing he could do. But then, he noticed something.

The girl mimicked his expression perfectly, even though she had no possible visual of him. When he regained his composure and adopted his usual cold stare, her otherwise common and ordinary features twisted in the same manner, making Artemis feel as if he was facing a girl version of himself in the mirror.

He was taken aback first, but slowly, his lips, and Selene's, twisted into his signature vampiric smile. He started typing on his phone's keyboard, and Selene turned around to face the LEP officer. The webcam model on her computer couldn't record sound, but Artemis knew exactly what Selene said to the fairy – for it was his own words he had just typed.

– _Captain Short, I presume_.

He watched the officer's face decompose in horror, and hacked into her Neutrino at the precise moment where she pulled the trigger. If he hadn't managed to neutralize her, she would have shot Selene in the head with an orange one hundred degree centigrades beam, knocking her out instantly.

" Nice shot… I guess. "

Now the emergency was handled, Artemis only had the time to attend to the most urgent things : getting rid of Captain Short's unconscious body somewhere she could be found by her colleagues, and securing Selene in a safer spot, until he could take a more proper look at the situation.

The first imperative was quickly and easily dealt with ; Selene actually had some worn-out clothes, probably stolen, that she kept in the bathroom, and Artemis, controlling his avatar's body, took Captain Short down Strahovska street and dumped her in the nearest sewer drain. He had checked her official mission order, and decided it was better to support her alibi. She was probably the only one, along with the centaur Foaly, to know about the Wired, and he didn't want her failed attempt at stopping him to raise the fairies' suspicion, and ultimately spoil his revenge plan.

Then, using the Wired's _edit_ mode, he added a self-destruction procedure to Selene's computer's hard drive, and set it to activate five minutes after she would have left the building. It was a pity to give up on such an advanced machine, but he had to leave absolutely no trace behind them.

Afterwards, Artemis had had the intention to take Selene to an hotel or something alike, but her mother, knocking at his door, kept on distracting him, and he had to gave up, and hope his avatar would be able to handle herself.

" Artemis ! Please, answer me ! _Please_! "

The young Fowl closed his eyes, and sighed. Even though he was relieved that nothing had eventually went wrong, he couldn't help but feel a painful weight in his stomach.

Artemis Fowl was undoubtedly a perfect example of a _control freak_ , and there weren't many things he hated more than having to deal with unknown or unstable variables. And Selene appeared to be both of these.

_How come my digital avatar has ended up as real human being – or is she even human at all ? Is it because I've created her in the Wired ? How would that be possible ?_

But, most of all, the Selene incident meant one thing. It meant that the Wired still held some secrets he hadn't uncovered yet. Secrets that Foaly, hence his seniority as the Wired administrator before him, probably knew about, and might try to use against him. And that was extremely preoccupying.

The bedroom door suddenly flung open, and Angeline irrupted in Artemis's room, her hands shaking. Seeing her son seated on his bed, his face pale as if he had seen his doppelganger, she stood still for a second, unsure what to do ; then she rushed to him, and slapped him. Artemis was pulled straight back to reality, and raised a hand to his burning cheek, stupefied. His mother had never hit him before.

" _For Christ's sake, why didn't you just answer me ?_ " she yelled in a broken voice, tears streaming down her face.

An awful shard of guilt pierced through Artemis' heart. He knew far too well how emotionally fragile his mother was. What kind of monster was he becoming, ignoring her cries of pain as she just tried to reach out to him ?

But Angeline should have reached out to him years ago. Instead, she had abandoned him, and now it was too late to fix her broken boy. What was Artemis' alternative, if the only thing he could do for his mother was protecting her from himself ? From the terrible things he was plotting, and from what he had become ?

Angeline took Artemis' hands, and kneeled in front of him, desperately trying to make eye contact.

" Artemis, my baby… Why didn't you just answer me ? " she whispered.

Artemis stared back, with his sick, merciless red eyes.

" Because there is nothing you can do to help me. "

Angeline removed her hands from her son's as if he had burned her. She stayed there, in shock, but Artemis didn't flinch.

Her lower lip trembling, Angeline stood up, and left the room. It was only when he was alone that Artemis allowed his emotions out, and buried his head in his hands, his osseous shoulders trembling softly.

.

Artemis stayed in his room until he lost track of time, unable to decide what to do. He knew he had to get back to Selene before she could do any more damage, before she risked ruining his plan ; but he didn't want to.

After their argument, Angeline had gone to the music room. It was supposedly soundproof, but he could hear the piano notes, which meant she had left the door opened. For over two hours, she had been playing all of their favourites : Debussy, Tchaikovsky, Ravel, even Alice Coltrane. Right now, she was playing Erik Satie's _Gnossienne_ _n°5_ ; it was Artemis' preferred piano composition.

She was calling him. Offering him a chance to come back to her and undo what he had said earlier.

Artemis rose up from his bed, and left his room. In the corridor, he hesitated.

Upstairs, his mother was waiting for him. For the past two weeks, she had taken care of him, even if she didn't understand anything about what he was going through. When he had arrived home from Saint Bartleby, this morning, he had been stunned to see her. With a little help from the Wired, he had crafted a very important and non cancellable business trip for his parents, in order to have a few days where he could work freely. His father, of course, had went – business was business. But his mother stayed. For him.

The piano notes flowing from the music room were as elegant as always, but there was a newfound softness to them – like a tender caress on his cheek. Artemis remembered how, three years ago, after his father had gone missing, being able to play music with his mother was everything he had craved for. But he was just a child back then.

Heavy-hearted, Artemis turned around, and went to the other end of the hallway, to his office. Satie's nostalgic melody faded away, and he closed the door behind him.

When he would have retaliated from the fairies, he would be done with the Wired. There would be plenty of time for him to be with his mother afterwards, and spend entire afternoons of playing music with her.

But right now, there was someone else who _really_ needed him.

**UNKNOWN STREET, PRAGUE**

The last thing Selene remembered from before her blackout was sending the other one a call for help message. Then, things already started to be blurry in her mind ; she was quite sure, however, that she had witnessed her message being received and opened. Then, total blankness. When she had awakened, she was all alone, outside, in the middle of the night, with no clue as to where or how far her home was.

Selene coughed, and kept on walking, tightening her arms around her lap. The coat she was wearing was old and stinky, as well as the shoes that were too big for her and had holes in it. She had found the clothes in the building, one time where she had explored the other floors and realized there was no one else. Selene's teeth were chattering now, and she couldn't feel her toes anymore. She hadn't think she would ever come to have such thoughts, but she missed her apartment's hot and suffocating atmosphere.

At first, when she had realized she was lost outside, Selene had almost panicked. It was the first time she was out of the apartment after she had first woken up inside it. The furthest she had gone was the first floor of the building. But she had managed to remain calm. There was probably a reason why the other one had left her here. She guessed the apartment wasn't safe anymore, and she needed to go somewhere else. The other one would certainly contact her again then.

But why would the other one leave her in the middle of nowhere, with no indication whatsoever and without a phone or money ? What if… the other one had abandoned her ? What if she had failed at her task, and they had decided to get rid of her ?

But that couldn't possibly be. She had done everything the right way, she knew it. So, there was only one option left : the other one _wanted_ to get her to a safer place, but had been forced to stop possessing her for some reason. And even if she was, much alike Artemis, a genius, Selene couldn't find a satisfying explanation about that.

The other one was her creator. For some time, Selene had even believed they didn't exist physically. If they had been able to create her, then what in the world could keep them to do whatever they wanted ?

Thinking hard, mustering all the informations she had about the other one, the Wired, and philosophical and theological theories about God, Selene walked for a good three hours, roaming in the streets, before eventually ending up in Prague's Old Town district. There, she had to stop for a while ; she wasn't in the greatest physical condition, nor hadn't she eaten in the past ten hours. More walking, and she would collapse out of fatigue.

Selene stopped, and looked around. She had just crossed a large bridge, and ended up in a plaza of some sort, surrounded by big buildings. Thanks to the general culture she shared with Artemis, she recognized the Karlovy University, right in front of the bridge, and, on the left, the Rudolfinum Concert Hall. After a quick hesitation, she headed for the latter.

When Selene pushed the big glass doors, a warm, comforting heat wave enveloped her, and she let out a relieved sigh. She took a few steps inside, listening to the music filtrating from the concert room in front of her, and tried to look around, but the exacerbated lights in the entrance hall dazzled her, making her eyes water – after all, the only artificial light she had been used to was her late computer's.

Suddenly, as she stood there half-blinded, a strong, lean hand clenched upon her arm, making her squeak in terror. She blinked, trying to discern her attackant's face.

" Shut up and get out of there, kid ! Beggars are not allowed inside the Concert Hall ! " the person said in a mean voice – Selene deducted it was a security guard or something alike.

Selene was already profusely apologizing, looking down so her eyes could eventually accustom to the light, when the guard's talkie walkie buzzed. Still staring at her feet, Selene listened.

" Yes, chief ? Nothing wrong, just a homeless kid who tried to break in… What ? Huh… Yeah, the kid has short black hair. Why are you… Wh… What ? "

Selene raised her head slightly. The guard, a tall, skeleton-like thirty-years-old man, looked fairly confused at the instructions he was given.

" But chief… you… Well, okay, chief. "

The guard put his talkie walkie down, and granted Selene with a mean look.

" Come with me and be quiet. "

Selene's eyes shone with happiness, and she smiled truthfully. The other one ! They hadn't abandoned her !

The guard led Selene across the Rudolfinum's entrance hall, into a service door behind the vestiary. The staff room in which they ended up was only lit by a small, dusty bulb on the ceiling, and Selene felt much more at ease. The guard pointed her towards a small formica table, and went back to the door as soon as she was seated. He glared at her intently, and narrowed his eyes.

" Wait here, and don't try to steal anything ! " he said.

Then, he slammed the door shut. Selene waited, not quite sure what to do, when she heard a phone buzzing into one of the coats hanging on the pegs by the door. She hesitated for a second, but stood up and took the phone out of the coat's pocket. The incoming call read "Anonymous". Selene's heart started pounding heavily, and she answered the call, her hands shaking.

" … Allo ? " she whispered.

" Selene, is that you ? " a boy's voice answered in a perfect Czech – even though it had a slight Irish accent.

The young girl let out a cry of sheer relief. The voice at the other end of the line was cold, and emotionless – but it was her creator's voice.

" From your reaction, I deduce that you are Selene indeed ", the voice continued. " Please excuse the… mess from earlier. Since I've made you to be as intelligent as I am, I think you have guessed that your, let's say _corporeal_ existence wasn't really a part of my plan. "

" I have myself doubted that _you_ were real, Creator ", Selene answered. " Even the fairy officer seemed to imply I was suffering from multiple personalities disorder – or, well, I think she was. But you've saved my life, so that must mean you are real. Just, pardon my asking, but… are you… a God ? "

The other one took a moment to reply.

" Technically speaking, I am a human. But, thanks to you, I have recently acquired full access to a source of power which brings me very close to the common definition of omniscient and omnipotent. "

" You mean the Wired ? "

" Precisely. "

" Does this mean… I am… your Wired's avatar ? "

" … Yes, you are ", the other one eventually replied, a hint of pride in his tone at Selene's keen mind. " I've created you when I first discovered the Wired, a little more than two weeks ago. By then, I needed to hide my true identity. The fact is, you were merely a digital mask to me – I had no idea you would turn out to be real, and I must admit I still haven't quite figured out all the ins and outs of this peculiar situation. But I… wait, what is this ? "

Selene raised her head. There was a loudspeaker at the other end of the room, so the staff could follow the concert's progression.

" Do you mean the music, Creator ? I think I recognize Antonio Vivaldi's _La Follia_ , but I can't be sure, I only know it from the general knowledge you gave me. But I must say I really like it so far. "

The other one stayed silent for a few seconds. When he spoke again, it was with a more caring tone.

" It is very pleasing for me to be referred as your Creator, but I'm not sure it is truly the best thing to do for my ego. My name is Artemis Fowl the Second. … You can call me Artemis. "

Selene smiled. Artemis, the Moon Goddess. Now, she knew where her own name came from.

But Selene realized something, and slowly, her joy faded.

" You said that you needed to hide your identity, _by then_. Does that imply you no longer need me ? "

" Well, I happen to know personally the elf who tried to arrest you, and she certainly recognized me when I controlled you. Plus, I have stolen Foaly, the technological consultant of the fairy forces, his administrator rights in the Wired, so there's not much left they can do to harm me. I'm free to assume my own identity from now on. "

" But… what are you going to do with me ? " Selene asked in a small voice.

She sensed Artemis' hesitation. Obviously, he hadn't really considered that ; and Selene couldn't help but think it was very selfish of him. The young girl felt a lump of sadness fall on her heart.

" You are really hurting my feelings right now ", she said the more matter-of-factly as she could. " I realize you didn't plan for me to be _corporeal_ , but you can't ignore the fact that I am here now. "

" I am not ignoring it, Selene. I'm doing my best to figure out a proper solution. "

" Why can't you just take me where you live ? "

Artemis was visibly taken aback.

" … That would be rather complicated, Selene. "

" You just said you were almost omniscient and omnipotent ! How could it be complicated for you to take me with you ? ", Selene cut angrily. " It's not complicated at all. You just don't want to be bothered by my presence. But you've _created me_. You are responsible for me now. "

Artemis' tone was suddenly much colder. Selene couldn't help but shrink like a kitten facing a tiger.

" _Watch your tone_ , Selene. As you just said, I've created you, and I don't tolerate insubordination. If you want to be insolent with me, prepare to suffer the consequences. "

Selene swallowed, but didn't let herself be discomfited.

" Please forgive me for my impertinence. But don't forget that the login and password you use in the Wired are _technically mine_. I have the same powers than you… not to mention the fact that you created me to be your equal. It would be a lot safer for you to be able to keep a close eye on me at all times, wouldn't it ? "

Artemis didn't answer, and suddenly Selene feared that she was going to be obliterated in the seconds to come. In a last, desperate attempt, she said :

" Please, Artemis. _Father_. "

No response.

" Father. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you. Please… don't abandon me. "

The young girl was only met with a long, very long silence, and she held her breath, her heart pounding so hard it threatened to burst out of her chest. But, eventually, Artemis answered.

" Well, I imagine my mother will be very pleased to meet her granddaughter – even though we will have to agree on an alibi, as we are physically the same age. "

Selene, despite the exhilarating happiness that overwhelmed her, hesitated to say that _his_ mother _was_ real, at least ; but Artemis had hung up before she could retort anything. The young girl released the breath she had been holding, and slumped on her chair. A sudden text notification noise made her jump, and she grabbed the phone again.

– _I'm_ _coming to get you._ _I_ _will arrive_ _by jet_ _in about two hours_ _,_ _with a trusted friend who_ _will be the only one, except me, to know your true identity and origin. To anyone else, you are Lilia Novakova,_ _a Czech orphan whom I have befriended online, and decided to take under my wing. You are free to come up with whatever backstory you like – just don't mention the original names I had given your parents._ _Stay in the Rudofinum Concert Hall area, but don't attract attention upon you._

– _See you later. Artemis_

**FOWL MANOR, IRELAND**

Artemis laid back on his chair, and sighed, pinching the tip of his nose to contain the bleeding.

He hadn't expected Selene to be so stubborn ; but he also hadn't expected her to be a sentient being in the first place, so he guessed that he should consider himself lucky that she craved for his help rather than his demise – for if he had been in her position, that's certainly what he would have done.

Once he felt his nosebleeding had stopped, Artemis stood up and headed for the manor's dojo. The only thing he wanted to do was getting into bed, but unfortunately, the night was far from being over.

Especially since he had to explain the situation to Butler.

**FOWL'S PRIVATE LEAR JET, ONE HOUR AND A HALF LATER, ABOVE GERMANY**

Madame Ko's training is known for being one of the most intensive and eclectic in the world, preparing its students to overcome many difficult situations ranging from facing an entire group of assassins alone, to preparing an homemade _apfelstrudel_ in less than an hour. But the key part of the entire training, the master element to any of the multiple disciplines taught by Madame Ko, was _calm_.

Butler was the youngest disciple of Madame Ko's academy to obtain the blue diamond tattoo ; and his main strength had always been his capacity to remain calm in any situation.

But right now, as he was piloting the Fowl's Lear Jet, heading straight to Prague, with the mission to accompany Artemis as he was going to bring home his Wired avatar, after it had revealed itself to materialize as _a_ _freaking_ _living human being_ , the manservant was seriously contemplating the idea of punching his young principle's face until some common sense finally made its way into his so-called brilliant brain. How come a genius such as the young Fowl managed to always put himself into the worst troubles even Madame Ko's academy hadn't prepared him for, was a mystery yet unsolved.

Butler quickly turned his head at the jet's security cameras' monitors, and was relieved to see Artemis was sleeping, curled up in his seat. But the bodyguard couldn't help but frown.

It seemed to him that the more time passed, the less his charge looked … human.

Well, to be honest, with his diaphanous skin and penetrating eyes, the young Fowl had always been more similar to a vampire than a regular child ; but since he had started using the Wired, he was truly in a morbid state.

Right now, with his puffy eyes and sunken cheeks, and his exhausted, preoccupied expression, even in his sleep, Artemis Fowl looked like the ghost of himself.

Heartbroken, Butler turned back and focused on piloting the jet. They had flewn over Dresden about ten minutes ago ; they would reach Prague's airport shortly. The manservant allowed his thoughts to wander, in order to grasp the situation a little better.

He didn't know what to make out of the fact Artemis had requested his help to deal with "the living avatar situation". On one hand, Butler knew the young boy totally had the opportunity to lie to him to get him to do what he wanted ; he was happy to see that his charge still trusted him. But on the other hand, the situation was totally unprecedented and extremely worrying ; and even if he could see Artemis' state deteriorating a little more each day, the manservant had no idea what to do.

It was pretty obvious that the Wired was… somehow, _poisoning_ Artemis. But the bodyguard couldn't simply overstep his charge's will and force him to stop using the Wired ; it wasn't his place to do that – even if Artemis was visibly making the wrong decisions for his health. Butler couldn't even be mad at him for that : he was one of the very few persons in the world to acknowledge Artemis' intelligence, all while never forgetting the fact he was still a child – and an extremely lonely one with that.

It only happened very rarely, and the bodyguard had always kept these feelings for himself ; but sometimes, including now, he wished he wasn't just a substitute paternal figure for Artemis, but his actual father. This way, he might have had the power to compel him to change his mind, and give up on whatever his plan was, before it was too late.

But he knew his charge too well to believe it would have worked. Seeing how Artemis had ousted his father from the house was sufficient enough ; but Butler knew that whatever he might try to say to reason him, his principal wouldn't listen ; and that, in a flash of guilt, he might even push him back even harder for trying to intervene and help him. This is how Artemis was : he just didn't want to be saved.

" How long until we arrive, Butler ? "

The manservant raised his head. Artemis, massaging his sore eyes with his hand, had entered the cockpit and sat on the copilot seat.

" Five minutes ", Butler answered, his tone clear from all the concerns he had about his charge.

Artemis nodded.

" Perfect. There's a slight modification in our program : we won't have to rent a car. Selene has managed to get to Vaclav Havel airport. "

" But I thought you told her to stay put ? "

" Yes, I had ", Artemis replied with a sigh. " But she is quite resourceful, and not extremely obedient. It seems as if she intently tries to find the best way to annoy me. "

" Well, pardon me for saying that, but I can see who she gets that from ", Butler said innocently.

Artemis rolled his eyes, but he actually looked a bit apologetic, so the manservant estimated the night wasn't entirely wasted.

" We do appear to have quite a lot in common ", Artemis said. " She's my avatar, after all. I had tried to make her personality as different of mine as I could, but it seems that even with my extended knowledge in psychology, I can't escape my own unconscious. "

Butler suddenly pictured having to take care of _two_ Artemis at the same time. It sounded as close to a vision from Hell as could be.

Eventually, they reached Prague's main airport, and Butler landed the Lear jet on the domestic flights area. As it was about midnight, the landing zone was completely empty. At first, there seemed to be absolutely no one around ; but Butler noticed a tiny silhouette in oversized clothes, waiting in front of the building.

Once the Lear jet had landed, the silhouette ran towards the plane, and Butler went to get her after he had opened the automatic door.

The manservant helped the young girl inside the jet, and couldn't help but notice how pale and skinny she was. He was also surprised by how unremarkable her features were, save for her short hair. He had been picturing a feminine version of Artemis, and was a little puzzled. The girl stared back at him with an anxious expression, and he chastized himself. This wasn't just an avatar, this was a real young girl. He couldn't even begin to imagine how scared and confused she must be.

" Forgive my rudeness, please ", he said, kneeling down so he could look at her in the eyes. " My name is Butler. I am Artemis' bodyguard. "

Selene smiled hesitantly. The manservant couldn't help but think she was a lot more expressive and open than her creator.

" Butler ? That's a funny name ", she replied. " My name is Selene. I am Artemis' daught… "

" You should stop saying that, Selene. This is true only metaphorically speaking. "

In the same move, the manservant and the avatar turned toward the cockpit. Artemis stood on the doorframe, examining Selene from head to toe, pretty much in the manner of a scientist reviewing their latest creation – searching for the slightest flaw.

Butler hated how this behaviour was similar to Artemis' own father, back when his charge was a young child.

But Selene wasn't taken aback, and moved forward until she was standing face to face with Artemis. They both stood still, for a long moment, scanning each other's eyes.

" I am disappointing you ", Artemis eventually said in English.

Selene lowered her head.

" I'm sorry ", she whispered in the same language.

" Don't be. I'm the person responsible for your very existence, and you've been picturing me as a God for weeks ; it's normal that I cannot match with what you imagined. If it can comfort you, I'm fairly disappointed with you too. "

Butler facepalmed mentally. Was it too late to consider a premature retirement ?

But it appeared that Artemis had processed what he had just said, for his composure broke slightly, and he looked a little embarrassed. Suddenly, the manservant realized how dire the situation was.

Having Artemis being responsible for a child's well-being was possibly the worst idea in the world. Butler hesitated to express his concern immediately, but Artemis broke the awkward silence :

" When was last time you ate ? "

" This morning. I used to order pizza with the building's previous owner's account. I would have preferred caviar, but they didn't have any at the pizzeria. "

Artemis had a little crooked smile, and turned to his bodyguard.

" Could you give our guest something to eat, please ? Then, we'll go back home. I'm going to need some proper sleep, if I want to be in shape for tomorrow morning. "

Butler, halfway from the jet's fridge, froze into place, and frowned.

" What do you mean tomorrow morning ? "

Artemis' crooked smile expanded.

" I think it's time for the fairies to face the consequences of trying to dominate me. Tomorrow, I'm getting my plan started. "

Selene and Butler exchanged a look. They both had no idea about what Artemis' plan was ; but they knew the fairies were not going to like it. At all.


	9. Database 08 : Inverted Firewall

**Database #08 : Inverted Firewall**

**LEP HEADQUARTERS, HAVEN CITY**

" _Captain Holly Short, you don't have more brain_ _s_ _than a goblin !_ "

Holly shivered. The insult was huge. So was Commander Root's fury.

" D'Arvit, _what were you thinking about ?_ " he yelled, spluttering all over the embarrassed elf's face. " _Do you realize the damage you could have have done ?_ "

" But Commander, it's not my fault ! " Holly tried to retort.

Root smashed his fist onto his desk, sending various paperworks flying all over the room.

" It's not your fault ? _It's not your fault_?! Then, can you explain how come your Neutrino has just _melted down_? How come these kind of technical incidents only happen to _you_ ? How come my Retrieval team has found you _a good one hundred miles away_ from the swear toads' invasion location ? And how come the building next to your location has _ignited like a goblin'_ _s_ _fart_ _seconds after Foaly_ _had_ _received your message_ _?!_ "

Holly bit her lower lip. This may be worse than the Hamburg incident. Worse than anything Artemis had put her throught before.

This was certainly the end of her career.

Commander Root dropped back on his chair, trying to catch his breath.

" You had just started to become a truly reliable officer… I don't understand what's wrong with you, Short ", he said, staring in the distance, a vein dangerously palpitating on his forehead. " You have no idea about how bad this is. "

Holly knew there was nothing she could say that wouldn't worsen her case ; along with the building, Selene's computer and all the evidences she needed to justify her actions had gone up in smoke.

" The building was abandoned, plus it was night ", she eventually replied. " I can guarantee you that there were no victims, and no witnesses. "

Commander Root closed his eyes, and exhaled deeply.

" I wasn't talking about the Mudmen, Short. I was talking about your Neutrino's malfunction. "

Holly frowned, confused.

" I have no idea how you managed to do that, but according to Foaly's examination of your gun, the backup cell has grilled when you pulled the trigger. The backup _mini-nuke_ cell. You just don't realize how lucky you are – you might very well have had your hand irremediably burned down, or your arm literally turned into mush by the explosion. "

Holly couldn't believe her ears. Suddenly, she felt extremely nauseous, and instinctively clenched her right fist. Her hand was still numb, and her little finger was a little shaky ; but overall, she was intact. The LEP suit's kinetic energy redirection system had taken most of the shock, and her healing magic had done the rest while she was unconscious.

But Commander Root's words kept resonating in her head.

_You might have had your hand burned down, or your arm literally turned into mush._

It was not the first time she had suffered an injury on her guiding hand ; but in the Arctic, Artemis had found a way to save both her finger and her career. He hadn't even meant to steal her magic in the first place.

And this time, he had _purposefully_ injured her. Just by slamming a button on a keyboard.

_How ? How has he become like this, and we have let it happen ? How ?_

Even though the Commander hadn't invited her to do so, Holly dropped on the nearest chair, her jaw clenched. Root didn't react – he would have been worried if the elfin officer had responded differently to the news that she had almost ended up mutilated for life.

" I assure you it's not my fault, Commander ", Holly said in a white voice.

" She's right about that, Beetroot. It's not her fault. It's mine. "

Both elves jumped at Foaly's sudden intervention. Root's wall plasma monitor had switched on, and the centaur, still in his hospital bedroom, granted the LEP Commander with a serious expression. For a brief second, his gaze turned towards Holly's ; and through his apologetic look, she could see that he had some good news. That gave her a little bit of hope back.

" The blueberry pie is cooked, and the sprite has left the nest, I repeat, the sprite has left the nest ", he said with a discreet wink.

Holly's face lit up. This was the secret code for Foaly's mission. It meant : "I've obtained a free pass for Mulch, he has left Atlantis and he'll be in Haven soon ".

No need to say that the code was the centaur's idea.

Commander Root, for himself, was still too dumbfounded to wonder what these sprites and pies were about. Eventually, he spoke.

" … Did you just call me _Beetroot_? "

Despite the dire situation, Holly had to gather all of her mental strength not to chuckle. "Beetroot" was the Commander's nickname among the LEP officers. Foaly eluded the question with a waving hand.

" That's not important at all. What matters, is what I said after. "

" … The blueberry pie thing ? "

" _No_ , of course not ! " the centaur said with an exasperated sigh. " I said that what happened in Prague is not Holly's fault. It's mine. "

Foaly paused for an instant. He seemed to be torn apart, unsure of what he should say or not. Root hesitated, but it was so rare to see the centaur wear any other expression that his irritating smug smile, that he let him continue without interrupting.

" … When I had this stroke, a few days ago, it was because… I had been attacked. By someone dangerous, whom I feared might strike again. I managed to find their trace in Prague, but I couldn't deal with this problem alone, so I've dragged Holly into it. She wanted to tell you everything, but I made her promise not to, because… because… Erm. _My point is_ , she can't be held responsible for what happened above ground – even the Neutrino incident. If there was a flaw in the blaster's design, it's on my account, not hers. "

Holly shifted incomfortably in her seat. She was grateful for the centaur's attempt at helping her out, but she doubted that his obviously vague and secretive explanation would convince Root – it was a lot more probable that it would rather make him even more angry.

Indeed, for a few seconds, Root's complexion seemed to wonder whether it should turn bright red or not – the result, not very pleasant to look at, reminded Holly of the time she had forgotten her tomato soup on the stove, and the explosion had repainted her kitchen's white ceiling in the manner of a Jackson Pollock painting. But eventually, Root's face was completely red, and when he spoke, his tone was menacing enough to make a grown-up troll cringe in fear.

" Even though it is very _endearing_ to see you rushing at Captain Short's rescue, I _really_ don't see how your explanation is supposed to improve her case. You realize, ponyboy, that you are telling me my officer has _purposefully_ _lied to her superior_ in order to go on a surface mission for your own personal matters ? "

" Err… ", Foaly babbled, suddenly a lot more unsure of himself.

" … And that is without mentioning the fact ", Root continued, " that _YOU_ also lied about the cause of your seizure. But if I manage to read inbetween the lines of your testimony, _even though I am not the thinking type_ , should I understand that a _D'ARVITING MUDMAN HAS ATTACKED YOU IN MY OWN HEADQUARTERS_? "

Foaly swallowed. On the monitors beside his hospital bed, Holly noticed his heartbeat was starting to speed up. It was very rare for the centaur to be directly confronted with Commander Root's anger about something else than his bad puns, and it was certainly not an enjoyable experience.

" I never said it was a Mudman, Commander ", Foaly eventually replied, trying to regain his composure.

" Pardon me, but you didn't really say a lot _at all_ ", Root stated. " But go on, explain. If it's not a Mudman, who attacked you ? That question is also for you, Short : whoever this mysterious individual was, what happened to them after your little Czech expedition ? "

Foaly and Holly exchanged a look. The centaur couldn't legitimately answer the Commander's question. He knew that Holly had found Selene, after he had received her message – which, of course, he hadn't directly shown to Root, but had rather interpreted to avoid the mention of a "crippled with mental illness Mudgirl" ; especially since the building had burst into flames minutes after he got her message, and it had led him to believe that the elfin officer had been outsmarted.

But he didn't know how, nor by _who_ Holly had been deceived and left unconscious in a sewer.

Holly bit her lip, then, still looking directly at Foaly, she said slowly :

" The asparagus salad tastes bad, I repeat, the asparagus salad tastes bad. "

_Note to myself : next time I agree to a secret code, DON'T let Foaly compose it. Never. Again._

Root punched his desk, exasperated and irretrievably furious.

" _For Frond's sake, what is wrong with both of you and your pies and salads nonsense ? Are you considering a reconversion in a catering service or what ?_ " Root yelled.

Holly looked down, but Foaly didn't flinch, nor answered. Actually, he was petrified at what Holly had said. Root slammed his desk with his fist again. Holly thought that in the long run, it was a true miracle that the piece of furniture had made it intact so far in the Commander's entire career. She didn't know that replacing his desk each year had become a solid part of the LEP budget.

" That's enough with the clown show ! " he shouted. " Foaly. You are very lucky to be convalescent, and irreplaceable as our technological consultant. If not, you would already be watering your garden tulips by now – _after_ I would have kicked the hell out of your horse butt. As for Captain Short, you are fired. Effective immediately. "

Holly felt her heart drop down.

The elf clenched her hands on her legs to stop them from shaking.

She couldn't believe it. She wasn't even angry, or incredulous ; she was just so numb. It felt like she was in the Arctic sea again – except this time, she was drowning.

She had just tried to help a friend. Not only had she failed, and let both Selene and Artemis escape, but now she wouldn't even get a chance to stop them. The elf had gotten so close to this in the past years, on more numerous occasions than she should have ; but now, it was done, and definitive.

Her LEP career was over.

_I must not cry. I must not. I must…_

Foaly, on the other hand, didn't see it the same way.

" Julius, don't be ridiculous ! Holly is one of your best officers ! You can't just fire her like this ! "

" Oh, I _very well can_ and I certainly don't need your opinion ! Now shut your mouth and focus on your recovery, before I get _really_ angry ! "

" But Julius… "

" _DON'T CALL ME JULIUS !_ I can't cut you out from the LEP, but I certainly can do so with your department's budget, and I won't think about it twice if you discuss my decisions again. _Understood ?_ "

Foaly opened his mouth to protest, but Holly's voice raised.

" Please, Foaly, just never mind. It's pointless. I'm a grown up, I knew what I was doing. I must assume the consequences. "

She wanted to say more, but her voice was more broken than she wanted, and she stopped before she could make a fool of herself in front of her superior. Former superior, she realized. For a split second, Root looked truly sorry for her. But serious misconduct was serious misconduct, and it was impossible to just let it slip.

Suddenly, Holly stood up, and looked right at the wall's plasma monitor. Straight into Foaly's eyes.

" You should tell him now ", she said. " Before it's too late. "

Foaly's gaze turned from infuriated at Root's decision to utterly terrified. Root, on the other hand, grew seriously interested in the conversation – for once these two were not speaking in vegetable gibberish.

" Tell me about what, exactly ? " he asked in a low voice.

Foaly started breathing heavily. He gave Holly a pleading look, but her gaze only narrowed.

" I have just been fired because of you. Now stop behaving like a child, and tell him. It's not like you have done anything bad, right ? "

Holly said that with complete honesty – after all, the centaur had kept her in a very rearranged version of the truth. But he, on the other hand, knew exactly what he had done. And he was slowly starting to realize how wrong it actually was.

Unable to sustain his friend's stare, he turned his head away.

" … I'm sorry, Holly. I can't. "

That was not Commander Root's opinion.

" You can, clever pony, and you certainly will. _I am the freaking Commander of the LEPrecon_ and you will tell me whatever it is you've been hiding. _That's an order_. "

Foaly shook his head violently. The monitors beside his bed started to buzz in an alarming fashion. It seemed as if he was having a paranoia attack. Holly started to wonder if trying to force him into telling the truth had really been a good idea.

" How would that help anything to tell you ? ", the centaur said in a pained, shaking voice. " You don't understand. You're a moron. It's already too late. I've compromised everything already… but I'm not the only one. Holly's to blame. You're to blame. _We are all to blame_. Can't you see that you are going to need every single officer behind you, if you don't want to see our entire civilization disappear ? _And you just fired one of the only officers who could stop this mess !_ "

Root slammed his desk, which, this time, broke slightly under the shock.

" That's enough with Captain Short's dismissal ! I've made my decision and _nothing is going to make me change my mind_ ! "

At the same moment and with the most perfect timing, as if Commander Root's words had a magical powers, all the lights and electronic devices in the city switched off.

Including the ones at the LEP Headquarters.

The communication with Foaly cut instantly as the plasma monitor turned black, and the two elfin officers stood in complete darkness for a few seconds. Then, Commander Root spoke.

" D'Arvit. "

**FOALY'S HOSPITAL ROOM, ARGON CLINIC**

Meanwhile, Foaly, sitting upright in his bed, was furiously slammering his laptop's keyboard, his eyes widening in horror.

Through his hospital room's window, he could see Haven's solar tubes starting to diffuse an orange emergency light. All of the city's sixty meters thick steel doors were slowly shutting down with the same sinister howling, and as any traffic noise and rumors had stopped, Foaly guessed the magnastrips' power had also been cut.

All in all, it looked like a perfectly regular lockdown procedure ; except the LEP Headquarters were not supposed to be affected by the global power cut.

Desperately, Foaly tried to reach Root's office once again. The centaur couldn't believe what was going on, at the point he wondered when he would wake up from this nightmare. First, Artemis' involvement confirmed, and then this ! In the blink of an eye, the situation had turned from almost hopeless to utterly catastrophic.

But Foaly had no idea how much.

Suddenly, his laptop's screen started to Glitch. Severely. His keyboard seemed to have stopped responding to his commands.

And then, a new terminal opened, and Artemis Fowl's face appeared, his smirk more vampiric and wicked than ever.

Foaly gasped, taking his hands away from the laptop. He had surveilled the young Fowl's activities daily for almost four months, but it was the first time he actually saw him after the mindwipe.

" Golly ! ", he said, " _What on Earth_ _has_ _happened to you_ ? Have you looked at yourself in a mirror lately ? You look like a skeleton with a mixomatous rabbit's eyes ! "

Artemis' smile only widened.

" Are you sure it is a good idea to disrespect me, dear centaur ? "

Foaly clenched his jaw. Referring to a fairy by their species was considered extremely rude. Normally, he wouldn't have felt insulted – after all, how could the young Fowl have known ? But now, Foaly was persuaded Artemis knew exactly what he was saying.

" You are a thirteen-year-old spoiled, selfish brat, and the Wired won't change any of that ", he replied with all the venom he could. " It's you who initiated the lockdown procedure, right ? Why ? "

Artemis sniggered. Foaly wondered how he could have ever considered the boy as a friend, before.

" Whatever. Insult me all you like, if it can make you feel better ", Artemis replied more seriously. " Of course it's me who have initiated Haven's lockdown. Don't you think it's rather ironic ? The city's walls, supposed to protect the fairies from exterior threats… now keeping them prisoners. Kind of like an inverted firewall, isn't it ? And this is just the beginning. "

Foaly's blood was boiling with rage.

" _Why are you telling me that ?_ ", he yelled to the laptop screen. " _WHY ?!_ "

Artemis crossed his hands under his chin, a mischievous look in his reddened eyes.

" I'm here to give you a challenge. You have actually one last chance to put an end to all of this, and prevent the Fairy Council from finding out about your involvement with the Wired. One last chance to stop this. To keep your name clean. "

Foaly frowned, hesitant. Knowing Artemis, the proposition was certainly far from being honest.

… But… It still sounded very attractive.

Even if the fairies somehow managed to prevent Artemis from using the Wired to become an evil superpowerful human god, Foaly knew that now the young Fowl had directly attacked Haven, there was no way out for him. The centaur would be exiled in one of Atlantis' Deeps Maximum Security Prison's cells, never to be allowed near a computing device again. The thought was unbearable ; but even though he still tried desperately to push his demise's deadline as further as possible, he had resigned himself that his days as the LEP's heroical technical consultant were over.

He had never imagined that Artemis would leave him an opportunity to save his reputation. The centaur kept thinking, but on the laptop screen, the young Fowl's confidence didn't stutter a second. His manipulation had worked perfectly. Foaly was tempted.

What were his other options, anyway ?

" … Okay, Mudboy. What's your challenge about ? "

Artemis' eyes narrowed, his lips twisting into a nasty, crooked smile.

" I have hacked and reprogrammed the city's DNA cannons. You have one hour to crack my upgraded version of their securized access password. If you don't make it in time, I'll use the cannons to wipe out the entire city. But if you succeed, you have my word that the Fairy Council will give you all the credits you deserve. "

Foaly couldn't believe what he had just heard.

" The DNA cannons don't kill, they just stun and knock out people. "

" That's what they used to do, of course. But I've told you, I've reprogrammed them. Are you really willing to risk the life of all the citizens of Haven ? "

" How am I sure that you won't just hack the cannons again once I'm done with your challenge? "

" You can't be. You just have to trust me. "

 _This is a deal with the Devil_.

Foaly had to gather all his will not to throw the laptop on the other side of the room. He was furious. But suddenly, he was very calm.

" You are a _monster_ , Artemis Fowl ", he said, his features twisted in disgust. " A _monster_. "

The young boy seemed to be hit by the centaur's words. His presomptuous smile faded, and turned into an expression of sheer hatred. He had been in the Wired for more than ten minutes, and a line of blood started to stream down his left nostril.

" Yes, I am a monster. _But thanks to whom_? "

Foaly heard him type on his keyboard, and the video terminal on Foaly's laptop disappeared. On the desktop, the Menu icon Glitched, then two new windows opened. One displayed a huge series of numbers – the password to access the DNA cannons' functionalities.

The other was a countdown.

Foaly immediately stood up, and rushed to the door. The sudden move made him dizzy, but there was something quite new rushing through his veins. It was not only adrenaline. It was pure fear.

The centaur tried to open the hospital room's door, and screamed for help. But the door was sealed shut, and no one heard him calling. One of the main politics of Argon's clinic was a strict respect for the patients' privacy, and each room had a perfectioned soundproof design, and a digital locking system. Despite his paranoia, Foaly hadn't asked for these options when he had signed at the clinic ; that was probably another one of Artemis' tricks. His challenge offer had never really been an option.

Foaly didn't waste time trying to kick a hole in the wall with his posterior hooves – he wasn't sure he was capable of such a display of strength, and in his current physical state, he would probably just break a leg and pass out. And Artemis would activate the DNA cannons.

The centaur sat back on his bed and took the laptop, a newfound determination in his eyes.

He was the LEP's technological consultant. The major of his promotion at the engineering academy, and the best computer scientist under and above ground. The previous administrator of the Wired.

Whatever security Artemis would have installed on the DNA cannons, Foaly would hack it in five minutes.

He enhanced the window displaying the password, and shrinked the one with the countdown on the bottom right of the screen. It indicated fifty-eight minutes and thirty seconds.

Foaly focused on the series of numbers. Whereas the old password was composed of five hundred and twelve characters, Artemis' was the double – one thousand and twenty four. The centaur couldn't help but be impressed. The Wired was a powerful tool, but it was worthless if the user himself wasn't extremely talented. Artemis obviously was, even more than what Foaly had thought.

_No wonder he has been able to encrypt his C Cube with an eternity code_ _._ _This Mudkid is a real genius._

Foaly opened a calculator and started typing. This wouldn't be as easy as expected, but even if the situation was extremely serious, Foaly managed to remain calm and focused. He had always loved challenges, and he decided to treat this one just like any other. A mere puzzle to solve. A simple password to crack.

The centaur worked for ten minutes without an interruption. Trying to crack the password manually was a no go – if he had ten years ahead of him, he might solve it this way, but it was not the case here. Thus, Foaly had decided not to play by the rules, and to craft a program that would calculate and try automatically each possible option for each of the one thousand and twenty four characters. That probably wouldn't be enough, but it would help him save time to try out his real plan.

After twelve minutes and three seconds, the program was ready, and Foaly launched it. Then, he put his laptop aside, and grabbed his digital tablet. Now he had this done, there was only one other option to complete Artemis' challenge in less than an hour : hack into the LEP's high-security server, where the DNA cannons' password was stocked.

Even if Artemis had messed with the lockdown procedure to extend the power cut into the LEP Headquarters, there was certainly still enough backup power to sustain the server's activity – if not, Artemis wouldn't have been able to hack the DNA cannons in the first place.

Foaly didn't try to log into the LEP server – that would be pointless, Artemis had probably hacked his account and changed his login and password. The centaur would have to do it in the good, old-fashioned way. He typed on his tablet as fast as he could, and was soon connected onto the Argon clinic system. He now had access to each machines, computers, phones inside the building – or, simply put, the entire hospital's processing power.

Foaly left aside all the life-sustaining machines, and hacked all the devices that weren't directly plugged onto a living being. For half a second, he hesitated over Opal Koboi's, but now she was in a comatose state, she wouldn't be an issue anymore. Especially if he couldn't crack Artemis' password on time.

Suddenly, Foaly heard some footsteps in the corridor, and soon, heavy knocking on his door. Probably the clinic's staff.

 _I'm very sorry_ , Foaly thought while typing on the keyboard _, but I have thirty-seven minutes left. I'll explain later._

He finished typing his instructions, and pressed the Enter key on the tablet's touchpad.

All the clinic's hacked devices started sending requests to the LEP server. A considerably huge amount of requests. If flooded enough, the server would eventually start bugging, and allow the centaur to sneak inside.

Foaly waited, his heart pounding, drops of sweat rolling down his temples. He had been in the hospital for less than a week, and after half an hour of intensive working, his brain felt slow and heavy. The centaur was extremely tired all of a sudden, and fought the urge to close his eyes and fall asleep. There was no time. He'd rest afterwards, if Artemis kept his promise.

He reached back to his laptop, trying not to be too hopeful ; but as he feared, the program hadn't proved successful yet, with more than three hundred thousands combinations tested.

Foaly started to be seriously worried. If hacking the LEP server didn't work, he wouldn't be able to make it. Artemis would win. He started swearing in his goatee beard. If he had been in his office, with his supercalculators and advanced computers, the game would have been entirely different.

But Foaly wasn't in his office. He was alone in an hospital room, with a little laptop and a digital tablet, and the knocking on the door intensified. Some people had started openly shouting ; the centaur estimated that they would try to contact the LEP Headquarters shortly. With the power cut, they would have to send someone, but there were several sprite nurses, and at flying distance, the Police Plaza wasn't very far from the Argon clinic.

The only thing he could do now was waiting for the LEP server to be submerged enough. In a way, the lockdown helped him : by cutting off the entire city, save for Argon's clinic, two other hospitals and a few official buildings, it prevented almost any counter-attack to be attempted. He should stay on edge anyway, in case the Fairy Council tried to stop him.

.

Twenty-eight minutes and fourty seconds left.

Foaly was sweating intensely now, and had an atrocious migraine. He had blocked one counter-attack successfully, but the processing power of the clinic's computers was definitely way too low for what he was attempting, and his program was too slow.

Seventeen minutes and eight seconds left.

Foaly heard numerous, loud steps approaching in the corridor, and as he recognized one of the voices yelling, he felt a cold sweat run down his spine.

" _Foaly !_ _FOALY !_ _You better open this door right now and explain yourself,_ _you Frond-forsakened donkey_ _!_ "

The centaur closed his eyes for a second, and focused on his tablet. Even if he tried to answer Root's request, the elf wouldn't be able to hear him.

Fourteen minutes and six seconds left.

Foaly's confidence and hope started to shatter completely. With no response from the centaur, Root had ordered the two officers he had brought along to find the biggest and heaviest object they could find, in order to smash the door. That wouldn't be complicated, after all the door wasn't that thick and wouldn't resist a battering ram's assault. Foaly now had merely five minutes left until the entire Argon staff and a furious Commander erupted in his hospital room.

Suddenly, his eyes widened.

The LEP server, overflooded with Foaly's requests, had started bugging. Quickly, the centaur jumped into the breach, his fingers moving so fast across the tablet's touchpad that they were almost blurry. Ultimately, he let out a relieved sigh.

He had made it. He had hacked the LEP server, and found the DNA cannons' password.

_That was way too easy. I'll definitely upgrade the server, once this mess is done and over with._

There were twelve minutes and fifty-eight seconds left. Foaly memorized the password instantly, and grabbed his laptop, throwing the tablet on the ground without even noticing it. He typed, as fast as he could, and pressed the Enter key.

**ARTEMIS' OFFICE, FOWL MANOR**

Comfortably seated at his desk, delicately sipping a cup of Earl Grey, Artemis allowed himself a lean, evil smile.

He had logged back in the Wired about three minutes ago, and followed the centaur's progress through his room's security camera with a calm expression. One might explain his serene attitude by the dangerously astronomical amount of painkillers he now had to absorb daily in order to silence his migraines ; but he was actually pretty satisfied with Foaly.

Everything was going according to the plan.

As the centaur pressed the Enter key, Artemis leaned his left hand toward his desk, and typed a few instructions on the keyboard.

" Well done, centaur. I must admit I am quite impressed ", he said after he had established the video communication with Foaly's laptop. " I didn't think you would have the nerve to hack into your own server. "

A few thousand miles underground, Foaly granted him with a mean look.

" Come on Fowlsie, like _you_ ever cared to play by the rules. "

" Oh, but according to the official reports, I _did_ play by the rules. I escaped the time-stop, and you had no choice but let me keep your gold ", Artemis noted. " Contrarily to what you might think of me, I love to play by the rules. It's more elegant. Plus, it makes your victory taste a lot better… or _bitter_ , depending on the point of view. "

Foaly laughed.

" So spiritual, eh, Mudboy ? Well, how bitter are you now ? I did what you asked, I've succeeded at your challenge. "

Artemis took another sip of tea.

" Indeed, you have… but it's not over. "

Foaly's jaw dropped in shock like a tv cartoon character. Artemis chuckled.

" B-b-but… you said I had a chance to stop everything ! " Foaly exclaimed, his voice abnormally high-pitched.

Artemis' smile widened, making the centaur shiver. The young boy stared deeply at his nemesis, savouring the fear in Foaly's eyes.

" Of course you do have a chance ", he replied. " Now you have cracked the password, you are in control of the entire set of DNA cannons. You can activate them. "

Foaly started yelling a set of Gnommish insults, which made Artemis roll his eyes.

" Could you please stop being a pathetic cry-baby, and listen to me ? _You don't have much time left_. In a matter of seconds, Commander Root and his minions are going to break your door and arrest you for launching Haven's lockdown procedure, hacking into the LEP server and taking control of the DNA cannons. Here is the choice I offer you : surrender... or activate the cannons. "

" But… have you reprogrammed them to kill, or not ? "

Artemis tilted his head.

" It wouldn't be proper torture if I gave you that information ", he replied softly.

When picturing this part of his plan, Artemis had imagined that the centaur would scream in despair, insult him, maybe even punch his laptop's screen in a last childish attempt at stopping him.

He had never imagined Foaly would break down crying.

For a few seconds, Artemis felt embarrassed. In the very, very bottom of his heart, a feeling of guilt started to arise. During the lapse of a millisecond, Artemis remembered that the centaur had been his friend, once. Some time ago.

But the moment faded, along with the glimpse of memory. And the young Fowl feasted on the tears of Foaly, the centaurian technological consultant of the LEP, the first fairy he had decided to humiliate. He had been so easy to break. And it wasn't even over yet.

" Artemis… " the centaur said, eventually, in a murmur. " … What happened to you ? "

Artemis' voice was devoid of any mercy.

" You know exactly what happened to me. You took my memories. You wanted to dominate me, but now, I'm the one who's in control. So. What's your choice ? "

Foaly stood still for a second. On his right, the door shattered in its frame. The fairies would be in his room any seconds now.

" Using the DNA cannons would be genocide ", Foaly said. " I will never do that. I'm going to surrender, and I'll let the Council decide my fate. "

Artemis smiled, and shrugged. Exactly what he had planned.

" As you wish, centaur. But don't forget what I promised you… "

Foaly frowned, then his eyes widened in terror as he finally understood the meaning of Artemis' words. The young Fowl allowed himself to wait until the very last second, when the hospital door was smashed into pieces, to assess the final blow :

" … You have my word that the Fairy Council will give you all the credits you deserve. _All of it_. "

Then, he cut the communication, and watched on the surveillance camera as the three LEP officers irrupted into the incredulous centaur's room, brandishing various weapons. He waited until the centaur had raised his arms and laid down on the floor, then had been handcuffed by Root himself, to log out of the Wired and sink into his desk chair with a satisfied sigh.

Butler, standing on the other side of the office, was utterly horrified.

.

After his charge had left the office, to clean his nosebleeding and take a few more painkillers, Butler waited for a few seconds before texting Selene on the cellphone he had gave her. While the girl received the message and climbed the stairs from the kitchen to the office, the manservant just stood there, looking around him absentmindedly, wondering _when_ exactly things had started to go completely sideways.

This was the first time he was back in Artemis' office after it had been "rearranged" to fit his use of the Wired. "Rearranged" now truly felt like a poor choice of word indeed.

An entire new cooling system constituted of large water tubes had been installed, and, next to the desk, Artemis had piled twenty hard drives, constituting himself a new server. The office's floor was a mess of cables, pipes and tubes, completed with three large ventilators. As for Artemis' three computers themselves, they had been replaced by brand new units the young Fowl had bought from "a friend at the CIA". Each computer came along with several monitors of various sizes, permanently switched on. The window had been sealed shut, and the ceiling bulb removed, the dozen screens being the only source of light in the room. Artemis had also added a thirteen numbers digicode on the door, with a fingerprint biometric scanner system to prevent his mother (or anyone else, but especially his mother) to come inside.

A few weeks, which started to seem like an eternity ago, Butler had only meant it as a joke ; but Artemis had _really_ turned his office into a true computing bunker.

" _Bože můj_ , what happened in there ? "

Butler turned around, and grimaced at Selene, who stood on the doorstep, bewildered at the all the semi-futuristic equipment.

" I wish I really knew ", the bodyguard answered. " Nothing good, I'm sure of that. "

Selene frowned, worried.

" Did you manage to understand what he did this morning ? "

After their return from Prague, the manservant had managed to have a private conversation with his principle, and obtained the right to be in the room with Artemis each time he would use the Wired. He had spent the entire morning standing behind him, and was still shakened at what he had witnessed.

" Not everything ", the manservant replied. " But enough to know how wrong it is. He has interlocked a lockdown procedure of some sort, and presented a guy with a poisoned deal. "

" What deal ? "

Butler tried to answer, but he didn't have the strength. When he spoke, it was a lot more to himself than to Selene.

" The guy was in a _hospital_ bed. This was straightforward psychological torture. At the end, the guy was _crying_. And Artemis _laughed_ at him. "

The manservant leaned against the wall, devastated.

" I don't know what to do, Selene. I see him falling apart, and I just don't know what to do. "

" Why don't you just smack these computers down and forbid him to come here ? "

" I can't forbid him anything, I'm just his bodyguard. And even if I sabotaged his machines, he would just buy new ones. And then, he would stop trusting me, and I can't loose that. It's the only thing I have left of him. "

Butler rubbed his face with both his hands. He was exhausted. Even if he was not, he just felt old, really old, too old for this.

" What are you doing here, Selene ? "

The avatar turned around quickly, and was met with Artemis' cold stare. She lowered her head, and stepped aside of the office.

" Nothing. " she replied. " Forgive me. "

She left immediately. Artemis looked at his bodyguard, who was still leaning against the wall.

" Did you ask her to come here ? " he asked.

" Yes, I did ", Butler replied, not trying to lie. " I'm worried, Artemis. I'm seriously worried. "

" And how did you think that Selene could help ? "

The manservant sighed.

" I don't know. I guess I thought she would know what might convince you to change your mind. "

Artemis shook his head.

" I'm not going to change my mind. I've told you that, before we took the Lear jet last night. Those fairies aren't good people. I can understand that you feel sorry for them, but they certainly didn't feel sorry for _us_ when we were deprived of our memories. "

Butler nodded. Arguing with Artemis wouldn't do any good, especially about the fairies of which the bodyguard knew nothing about before last night.

" Please… just try to take care of yourself. I'm doing my best, but… I don't know if it's enough anymore. "

Artemis' composure wore off slightly, and the young Fowl went for his bodyguard, to put a hand on the man's elbow.

" I'm sorry, Butler. I need to do this, and even if I wanted to, I've gone too far to back up now. But it will be over soon, and after that, I'll comply to whatever medical treatment you see fit, and I'll do everything I can to stop using the Wired. "

He paused, for a second.

" It will be okay. I promise. "

.

Meanwhile, Selene sat in the Fowl Manor's kitchen, thinking deeply. Butler had prepared a huge breakfast for her, and while she finished her second plate of maple syrup pancakes, she realized that she had grown really attached to the manservant, even if she had met him yesterday. Not only because of the food ; but because he was, behind his terrifying stature, so nice and caring with everyone. Especially her father, Artemis.

Selene swallowed on her last bite of pancake, and sighed. She really didn't know what to make of him. She knew how many traits she shared with him, but while she would have diagnosed herself as hypersensitive, he was always composed, very careful with his emotions, at the point any individual who didn't know him would wonder if he actually had any. And he was so strangely cold with her.

She could feel that he didn't despise or hate her ; just that he didn't exactly know how to reach out to her.

As if he had never been taught how to love.

But Selene knew he wouldn't let himself be so easily psychanalized, so she didn't count on that assumption too much. It was a lot more probable that becoming a father overnight wasn't an experience he was used to, and had to learn to deal with – especially since his daughter was his age and his previous Wired avatar.

The young girl rinced the maple syrup with a big glass of mango milkshake. Just as Butler, she was really worried about Artemis, and tried to find a way to help him. But as he was so stubbornly addicted to the Wired that he couldn't be reasoned with anymore, the only way Selene saw of stopping him was force.

And the only person who might be able to force Artemis to do something was Angeline. His mother.

Selene hadn't see her much. They had met this morning, and the lady had barely listened to the explanations as to where she came from. Angeline looked extremely tired, and a bit sad. But she had offered Selene an old dress of hers, and all in all, even though she seemed to be more fragile, she was a lot like Butler – she loved Artemis and wanted to help him, but didn't know how. She had even hugged him, and that was the closest Selene had seen her father from another human being.

Thus, having reached those conclusions, the young girl decided to go see Angeline after her breakfast, and try to get her to intervene. Maybe, with the bond they seemed to have, Artemis would listen to her.

As she took on another plate of pancakes, Selene wished he would hug her too. But she thought he probably wouldn't appreciate it if she asked him to, and kept this feeling to herself. She didn't know how this was actually what Artemis would have done – and had done – with his own father.

**HAVEN CITY, BELOW GROUND**

Selene and Butler didn't know it, but they had actually done something for Artemis. Something extremely huge.

They had kept him away from the keyboard for a few minutes.

This might seem unimportant, except that during those few minutes, something of crucial importance happened in Haven.

The former Captain Holly Short was walking down the Boulevard of Kings. After the lockdown, Commander Root had hesitated for a second, but he had eventually send her home, and hadn't cancelled her dismissal.

As Holly was heading to her apartement, she couldn't help but feel she was actually walking away from her _real_ home. The LEP.

Suddenly, there was a honking in the distance, and she was exasperated to hear Chix Verbil's voice.

" Oh my, it's the beautiful Captain Short ! What are you doing here? "

" I'm walking home alone ", she answered, her head still turned to the street's old cobbles. " I don't know if you're aware, but the concept of ''alone'' excludes the idea of a third party. "

" Eheh, always so cunning ! But it's not just the two of us ! "

Intrigued, Holly raised her head, and her face lit up in surprise when she realized two things. One, the sprite officer was riding a tricycle that was way too little for him, and was even more ridiculous than usual ; and two, she knew the person who was sitting on the rear carrier, and who gave her a big, shiny smile.

" Mulch Diggums ! "

The dwarf winked.

" Back here to save the day again, huh ? Maybe I should consider applying at the LEP academy, so the next time Julius needs my help I won't need to be wearing handcuffs. "

" You don't get to speak of our Commander in such familiar ways, convict ! ", Chix said furiously, trying to appear more manly, as he now had a feminine audience.

" Don't call me convict ! Only Julius is allowed to do that ! " the dwarf replied.

Mulch brutally punched Chix's helmet with his forehead, making the sprite squeak in surprise, tangle his legs and fall off the tricycle. Holly rushed to keep Mulch from falling, and put him on the ground. He grabbed her hand, suddenly serious.

" Foaly has explained a little about the situation, and as the city has gone into full lockdown after I arrived from Atlantis, and I have to be dragged to the Headquarters _on a D'Arviting_ _tricycle_ by this moron, I think I guess that his fears have turned to be correct. I have something for you. "

The dwarf searched his pockets while Chix Verbil was slowly trying to stand up, rubbing his nose which was starting to swell dangerously. Mulch frowned.

" Wait a sec', I thought I had it just here… No, it's probably there… No ? Well, there's that pocket… "

While he was speaking, he was pulling out all his pockets' content – which included Chix's watch, Chix's wallet, a spare set of LEP handcuffs, the key to the spare set of LEP handcuffs, the key to _his_ _own_ LEP handcuffs, and a pair of pink fluffy handcuffs that certainly weren't LEP related. Holly's eyes widened, and Chix's face turned bright red in embarrassment.

" Ah, finally ! I found it ! " Mulch said, looking like he was having a lot of fun.

He handed Holly a little golden medallion. She frowned, as she could recall having seen it somewhere before. Then, the memories flew back in her mind.

" How… how did you get that ? ", she whispered, stupefied.

Mulch shrugged lightly.

" Don't you recall ? He gave it to me before you guys mindwiped him. But I'd look closer if I were you. This little thing isn't really what it looks like it is. "

After that, Chix Verbil eventually got back to his senses, and before Holly realized it, he and Mulch were gone, along with the various sets of handcuffs and the dwarf's satisfied chuckle at the sprite's red cheeks.

Unsure what Mulch had meant with "look closer", she sticked the golden medallion under her nose, and noticed that the golden layer seemed to be erodated. Eyebrows frowned, Holly brushed a corner of the coin.

She took a few seconds to process the information.

It wasn't the coin she had given Artemis, a long time ago, to remind him about what she had called his "spark of decency". It was a minidisk.

The elf stood still for a good minute. And then, she spoke.

" D'Arvit. "


	10. Database 09 : Fatal Error System

**Database #09 : Fatal Error System**

**HOLLY SHORT'S APARTMENT, HAVEN CITY**

It was now about two hours since the fairy capital had been put into lockdown, and it didn't seem like the situation was getting any better.

That was from Holly's perspective, at least ; and Holly's perspective was a lot more foggy than she would have liked to – that statement being both literally and metaphorically speaking.

Literally, because her attempt at using her LEP buzzbaton on the circuit-breaker to turn her flat's power system back on had resulted into a small explosion in her living room. And metaphorically, because she was now a former Captain of the LEPrecon ; and thus she had no idea what was going on, and there was nothing she could do.

The elf just sat at her kitchen's table, her pointy ears droopy, ignoring the grey smoke coming from the living room, surrounding her. Fortunately, the fire-protection system was off, otherwise the entire floor and corridor would have been flushed under a shower of water. She stared down at the golden medallion, fidgeting with the brown leather string, absent-mindedly.

She had run all the way back to the LEP Headquarters with Artemis' minidisk, but when she had arrived, Commander Root was gone with two officers, and no one had been able to tell her where nor why. Apparently, out of the thousands of angry and disoriented citizens coming to the Police Plaza for answers, one had a plee that was urgent enough for the Commander to hear it and go see for himself.

But it was impossible for Holly to learn more. With the lockdown, communication was mostly back to written messages and carrier sprites, and the LEP Headquarters were in quite a mess, having never been confronted with the power cut before. Everyone was taking everything they could transport to the Frond Memorial, one of Haven's most prized historical monuments, where there was still some power on.

Holly could have tried to come along with her colleagues – after all, in the frenzy, Root hadn't taken her badge, and no one else, save from Foaly, knew that she was fired. But as she saw the panic in the eyes of Trouble Kelp, while he carried a crate full of Neutrinos, and the global atmosphere of underlying discomfort and terror at the Headquarters, among the officers, Holly just felt extremely tired, and walked away.

The LEP had never faced anything like this ; and the elf had no doubt that Artemis was pulling the strings in the shadows. Haven was not a safe place anymore.

She didn't know much about the Wired, but Holly's imagination did a very good job at picturing all the horrors the young Fowl could do now he had the entire city at his mercy, without even the LEP to stand up to him. The People had retired in the deepest of the Earth to be safe from the Mudmen, but now they were trapped like rats in their burrow.

Holly buried her face in her hands. How would she make any difference ? Artemis had always been way too clever for anyone's good, but now he was equally, if not more powerful than the fairies. And Holly's lame attempt at stopping him in Prague showed her how useless she was. And Selene…

Holly sighed, her heart tightening painfully. The poor girl. Whoever she actually was, Artemis had _mind controlled_ her, and had been doing so for weeks. Why ? Why this girl ? And _how_ ? Did the Wired gave him the ability to use an advanced fairy _mesmer_? Did he have magical powers now ?

Usually, Holly would have laughed at such an hypothesis, worthy of Foaly's paranoia deliriums ; but now, she didn't know what she should – or could – believe or not.

Before, she might have tried to contact Artemis, to talk him out of whatever horrendous scheme he had started against her kind. But he didn't remember her. She had the minidisk, which contained a copy of his fairies-related documents, she had zero doubt about that ; but with the lockdown, she couldn't even check it on her laptop, and anyway, how would she even get to the surface ? All traffic in and out of Haven was shut down, and she wasn't a LEP officer anymore.

She had to acknowledge it. Artemis was unreachable. The battle had barely began yet ; but the People had already lost.

This is where Holly was in her depressed elucubrations, when someone knocked energically at her door.

At first, she didn't react. Whoever that was, there was nothing she could do anymore to help. But the knocking intensified. Holly turned her head to the door, unable to restraint a small hint of hope from growing in her sad eyes. Yet the possibility that Root would give her a second chance was so slim…

" Holly, for Frond's sake ! Are you opening this door or do I need to come inside and smash it with your face ? "

That was Trouble Kelp's voice.

" Commander Root came at the Frond Memorial, and he sent me to get you ", Trouble explained through the wooden door. " And, he told me that he told you something he shouldn't have told you, and he also told me to tell you that the thing he told you before and shouldn't have told you, er… you can tell as if he didn't tell you at all. "

Within a second, Holly was at the door, and before he could speak she drew Captain Kelp in a tight, warm hug. The elf stood still, unsure how to react to his colleague's unusual display of affection ; but when he distinctly heard one of his ribcage's bones crackle, he eventually managed to puff a few words.

" Er, Holly… You're… I can't really breathe… "

" Oh, sorry. "

Holly let him go, the tip of her ears a little bit blushed. Trouble hesitated, but quickly regained his composure.

" Erm… Okay. Well, I don't know what Root told you in the first place, but he told _me_ to hurry. We don't have much time to reach the Memorial before the special emergency Council session starts. Root wants you to testify. "

Holly was already starting to gather some important stuff – including, of course, the medallion –, but she stopped dead in her tracks.

" … an emergency session ? But… why me ? What have I done ? " she asked, dumbfounded.

Trouble's gaze was extremely serious, and sad somehow – as if he couldn't believe what he had to say.

" Not you. Foaly. He has been arrested. And they have declared a War Council. "

**FROND MEMORIAL, HAVEN-CITY**

The Frond Memorial was Haven-City's most ancient historical monument, as it had been built only two years after the People's exile below ground, as a symbol of the fairies' union against adversity, and to commemorate the Frond dynasty.

It was a massive construction of large white stones, carved with ancient runes, each side of the octogonal building representing one of the eight fairy families and their history. Inside, there was a small entrance hall, where the tourists could leave their offerings on a golden altar and take selfies in front of the massive King Frond statue. Then, there was the Frond Kings' Mausoleum, where the LEP had established their temporary quarters, and the Statues Room, where it had been decided the War Council would take place.

By the time Holly and Trouble arrived, the Mausoleum was filled with LEP officers. They sat or stood unusually still and quiet, their worried whispers echoing on the massive walls. The atmosphere was a strange mixture of apprehension and frightened numbness ; as it can be when you're alone in the dark, and you can feel an unseen, dangerous presence behind you. Surrounding you, slowly. Amongst the officers, Grub Kelp, sitting next to a stack of crates, was ostensibly sniffling, raising disapprobating glares around him.

Trouble quickly joined his little brother, and as Holly started to follow him, she noticed Root, standing at the entrance door of the Statues Room. He looked around, and, with a silent nod, indicated her to come with him.

Holly crossed the room discreetly, and followed the Commander into the Statues Room. Usually, when one enters the large circular hall, the holographic projection system triggers an animation of the ten kings and queens, making them descend their marble altars and engage into a traditional royal dance. But it seemed like the system had been disabled – probably so the electricity could be diverted to power the LEP machines in the Mausoleum –, and the huge stone statues remained cold and still.

The majority of the Fairy Council was here, installed on makeshift chairs under Jen and Kira Frond's statues. They were discussing, and didn't pay attention to the two newcomers. Root went to stand next to the San D'Klass statue, facing the Council, and Holly stopped a few respectful steps behind him. She knew the situation was more than dire, but she couldn't help herself.

" Thank you, Commander. Thank you ", she whispered.

Root didn't respond, but she saw the weight on his shoulders wearing off a little.

" Don't thank me yet, officer ", he replied, also whispering. " The Fairy Council is really upset, and that is quite the euphemism. The situation is completely unprecedented, and Foaly's time as a free fairy is definitely over. Even with my political relations, I don't know if I'll be able to save him from exile… and to be frank, I don't know if I really should. "

Root turned around, facing Holly.

" Can I trust you, Captain Short ? Can I really trust you ? "

Holly didn't blink, sustaining the Commander's inquisitive look.

" You can, sir. You have my word as a fairy and a LEP officer. "

Root stood still, and sighed. Holly was scared to see his face merely rosy. He looked tired, and confused, and the elfin Captain could guess why. Trouble had explained her everything, on the way from her apartment to the Frond Memorial. Everything Foaly had done. And even though she couldn't quite grasp how exactly, she knew very well who was really behind it.

" I know what Foaly is accused of ", Holly said. " But I also know that he is innocent. "

Root hesitated.

" Well, I can't help myself thinking he is ", he eventually answered, " but the evidence against him are crippling. Even the last things he said, before the lockdown… "

Holly remembered far too well.

" _You don't understand. You're a moron. It's already too late. I've compromised everything already… "_

The elf muttered insults internally. That stupid centaur. Maybe he had just digged his own grave. And once again, she had to fix his mistakes. Or try to.

" Commander. I can't pretend I know everything about Foaly's motivations these past hours, especially with the DNA cannons thing ", she replied. " But I have strong reasons to believe he has been set up, and I also have a suspect. "

And she told Root everything : the real reason for Foaly's stroke a few days ago, Selene, Prague, Artemis. And the Wired – or at least, what she knew about it.

When Holly was finished, Root's face looked like a ripe tomato that was about to explode. It took him a few minutes to cool down enough in order to be able to utter words.

" That donkey. That D'Arviting donkey. I'm going to kill him. I'm going to feed him with his Frond-forsakened hooves. _Why didn't he tell me all this ?_ "

Holly wanted to say that, _maybe_ , Foaly feared that Root would react exactly like this, but at the same moment, Cahartez entered the Statues Room, readjusting his official conical hat. A few officers had gathered near the entrance door, trying to see what was happening.

" Sorry, sorry ! " said Cahartez, panting heavily. " Oh my, walking on foot is _exhausting_! "

As the Chairman seated, all the other Council members put their conical hats on ; and everyone suddenly became dead serious. Cahartez was the only one to wear the official hat on a regular basis. If the six other members did, then the situation was really, _really_ critical. Then, the large door between the Mausoleum and the Statues Room was sealed shut, and Holly and Root exchanged a worried look.

Even if it wasn't a trial, there might still be a chance to save Foaly from total discredit and exile – but the chance was extremely slim. Within the seven Council members, they only had few allies : Cahartez, Lope and Vinyaya were on Root's side ; but Kall was a brute, Hamon a useless newbie, and Gabion, the leader of the Ecolopacifist party, was one of Cahartez's deadliest political opponent. As for Markos, he usually never took part in the debates. And with what the centaur was accused of, even Root's allies didn't seem to be very inclined in their favor.

" Fairies ", Cahartez began, even more pompous than usual. " We are reunited here today in a special session, as Haven-City's War Council. The lockdown procedure has been initiated without our approval by the centaur Foaly ; and he has taken advantage of the situation to hack into the LEP servers and put the city's set of DNA cannons under his control. Fortunately, he has been stopped before activating them ; but it's a possibility that the lockdown procedure wasn't interlocked just to cover his terrible misdeeds. Maybe we have been discovered, maybe it's a siege. As for now, we don't know. Foaly hasn't been able to cancel the procedure, and he is still refusing to talk. "

" Where is he now ? " asked Lope.

" After his successful arrest by Commander Root, Foaly is held at the LEP Headquarters under heavy surveillance. As we speak, he is accused of betrayal of the People and attempted genocide. … He has pled guilty. "

Cahartez put his notes down, and hesitated.

" This is all the information we have. "

That wasn't totally true. About half an hour ago, as he was leaving his patio, Cahartez's digital tablet had suddenly switched back on. For a few seconds, he had hoped that the lockdown had been lifted ; but then, he had received an anonymous email. And the attached file was extremely, _extremely_ preoccupying.

The Chairman doubted, for a little moment. The leaked document seemed truly genuine – and if it was, well… the centaur was lucky that the fairy justice had abolished the death penalty.

But Cahartez had decided it was not the time to disclose the document yet. Foaly wasn't the real important matter for the moment. They weren't to decide how much guilty he exactly was, but how they could fix the trail of catastrophies he had left behind him, before it was too late.

And, with a little bit of luck, the Wired wouldn't have anything to do with it.

" Foaly has been interrogated, but he appears to be in an unstable mental state ", the gnome eventually said. " Despite that, we must figure out the ins and outs of this situation. The safety and the peace of our home might very well be at stake. Julius Root, Commander of the LEPrecon, I command you to step forward and answer for your employee's actions for him. You might bring along the witness you wanted to introduce. "

Root turned to Holly, and she bit her lower lip. Together, they stepped out of the comforting shadow of San D'Klass' statue, and went to stand in front of the Fairy Council.

Kall, one of the Council's permanent members, a former Commander with old-fashioned ideas and a patent hatred of Root's methods, sighed loudly.

" Seriously ? Your _female_ officer again ? "

Holly clenched her fists, but managed to remain calm. Foaly needed all the support he could get, and she certainly wouldn't help him by discrediting herself even before she got a chance to speak.

Vinyaya, without adressing Kall's last remark, turned towards Root.

" We have been beating around the bush for enough time now, so here's my question. Why did Foaly initiate Haven's lockdown procedure ? Have we been hooked ? "

Holly swallowed, and took a step forward. She could feel the gaze of the most powerful politicians of Haven upon her, and she started sweating.

" If I may, I'm going to answer your question. "

Vinyaya, Cahartez and Lope nodded gently. Kall and Gabion frowned at her meanly, and Hamon, the youngest and newest Council member, crossed his arms on his lap, his right hand's fingers tapping on his elbow in an ostensibly unconvinced manner. As for Markos, the representant of the warlocks, he was the Elder of the Fairy Council – he had been a member since King Frond the third, one and a half millenary ago. The pixie was so old he always looked like he was sleeping, and had never spoken during a public meeting in about seven hundred years.

Holly swallowed, and mustered her courage.

" A few days ago, Foaly has detected a breach in one of his security systems. The breach was provoked by a young Czech hacker, named Selene. Foaly tried to neutralize her, alone then with my help. Unsuccessfully. "

She had spoken carefully, but it was as if she had dropped a bomb. The sound of her dreadful words echoed on the cold walls, and everyone was baffled, completely horrified.

The fairies' worst nightmare had come true. Not only had they been discovered by a human ; but somehow, this human had managed to sneak inside their best IT engineer's securized system.

Cahartez now had a better idea as to who the anonymous email sender was. It only made him even more terrified.

Eventually, after a long, hollow silence, Lope spoke hesitantly.

" If you're telling the truth, Captain Short, then this might be a very important clue as to why Foaly initiated Haven's lockdown. Yet, there is one essential question yet unanswered : _why didn't he tell the Fairy Council immediately_?

 _I wish he had_ , Holly thought to herself. _Everything would have been a lot easier._

" Foaly was a key element of the LEP, and he was perfectly aware of it. He feared that if some elements of the… _thing_ his security system protected were to be revealed, the Fairy Council would have no other choice but to have him dismissed from his functions, or even exiled. "

Holly grimaced. That was a little too late for that. But if she managed to convince the Council of how much they needed Foaly's help, if they wanted to fight Artemis, maybe there would be a little bit of a chance to win left.

But first, she had to tell them about the Wired, hope she'd be able to explain how it worked… and pray that they wouldn't get too mad.

" The supersecurity that Selene hacked didn't protect any regular LEP system. Foaly called it… the Wired. "

Simply saying the word out loud made her shiver. In fact, she spat it out as if it was a living tarantula that had made its way in her mouth. Holly couldn't find any legit reason as to why she felt like that ; but the word just seemed to emanate a poisonous, vivid sense of danger and desolation. As if it contained all the conflicts and wars of the Earth's history.

Holly felt a little bit ridiculous at her emphasis – after all, it was just a _word_.

But when she looked around her, she realized she wasn't the only one to be affected.

Root, and most of the Council members had instinctively cringed like frightened animals. But some, she noticed, had on the contrary a creepy glow in their eyes. They looked… _interested_. Kall was one of these. Vinyaya also was.

There was only one person who was neither scared or inexplicably attracted.

That person was Markos.

For a few seconds, his usually half-closed eyes remained wide open, his old, wrinkled face frozen in an astonished expression. But then, his features gently slipped back to their usual impassive look.

His voice was a lot less impassive, though.

" _What did you just say, elf ?_ "

Markos' deep and threatening voice broke the spell that had fallen upon the room, and everyone blinked, confused. Holly lowered her head like an ashamed little girl. She was used to Commander Root's abrupt way of speaking, but Markos definitely carried a different kind of authority. He joined his hands on his lap, and spoke, in the same quiet yet extremely intimidating tone.

" We had summoned him by the law of Frond to cease his experiments ; and he swore on his Book of the People that this monstruosity was destroyed, done and over with. "

Holly frowned.

_Wait, what ? He didn't tell me about that !_

She wasn't the only one to be lost. Hamon raised his hand, a confused expression on his face.

" Pardon me, Elder, but… what are you talking about ? "

The warlock rolled his eyes. In the process, he looked like an exasperated owl.

" It's true that you weren't a Council member yet when all this happened. The Wired is one of Foaly's discoveries. If I recall his explanations properly, we are talking about a digital network with magical properties – for example, the ability to access completely unlimited information about anything. But the Wired actually came to our knowledge when Foaly "accidentally" _delayed_ the creation of the human Internet of a few decades. "

" Fifty years, exactly, Elder ", Gabion added with venom in his voice, his gaze murderous.

Hamon's eyes widened in stupor.

" Fift… _what_?! …This can't be serious ! How in the world has the Fairy Council allowed this illuminated centaur to wander around with such an horrendous power in his hands ?! "

Markos sighed – and somehow, the sound was terrifying. Like the howling of the wind in a rusty-hinged cemetery gate.

" Of course we haven't allowed him, you ignorant upstart. When Foaly presented us with the Wired, we imposed him to stop using it at once, and delete it. He swore on his Book to do so. _That was eighty years ago._ "

Save for Hamon, who looked extremely embarrassed, all of the Council members nodded severely.

Even Lope and Vinyaya's gazes were exempt of any comprehension or mercy. Root, on the other hand, was utterly speechless, and kept on staring alternatively at Markos and Holly's faces, hoping they would somehow explain that this was all a big joke.

But Markos wasn't renowned for his joking talents, and seemed more serious than ever ; and as for Holly herself, she just stared down the floor, her eyes burning, an acrid taste down her throat.

Foaly had lied to her. He had pretended that the Council didn't know about the Wired ; and he had also very well omitted to tell her that he had discovered it almost a century ago.

Holly felt betrayed, and humiliated. She had tried to defend her friend, and after she had first gotten fired because of him, she had now made a fool of herself in front of the entire Fairy Council.

On the other hand, she could very well understand why he had hidden the truth from her.

Lying to the Fairy Council, and breaking an oath on the Book of the People, wasn't even a mere crime anymore. It was straightforward high treason and blasphemy.

Foaly was finished. His reputation, broken. His chances to save them all, shattered to pieces. As soon as the lockdown would be deactivated, it was only a matter of minutes before he would be put in a shuttle for Atlantis' Deeps Maximum Security Prison. Maybe she would never see him again.

She had to stop this.

" Please, Fairy Council, hear my plee ", she said desperately. " Foaly has made terrible mistakes, but he has always been a loyal member of the fairy community. We need his help, now more than ever. "

Kall pounded his chair's armrest with his fist. For a brief second, Holly wondered if angrily pounding on the furniture was a required competence to become a LEP Commander. It was probably her nerves, making her having such thoughts at a time like this.

" This female has just admitted, a few minutes ago, that she was the centaur's accomplice during the Prague disaster ", he retorted contemptuously. " She was aware that a Mudgirl had discovered us, and she hasn't referred to anyone. I can't see how anything she has to say might be considered relevant, nor how we aren't having her arrested immediately ! "

Holly tried to figure a way to answer Kall that wouldn't consist in punching this scornful smile off his face, but she was surprised to see Root move forward.

" Holly Short isn't a _female_ , she is a _LEP Captain_ , you retarded troll ! " he said menacingly. " She's one of our most valuable officers, and the Council has agreed for her presence as a witness. _She has a testimony, so she testifies,_ _period_ _!_ "

Holly's heart warmed up. Gabion, on the other hand, stood up, completely outraged.

" How dare you address a Council member like this ?! "

" I dare because I'm the Commander of the LEPrecon, and no one disrespects my soldiers, " Root replied firmly, without flinching a second.

Kall laughed.

" Oh, what a noble, chivalrous gentleman ! Just _face it_ , Julius ! You're completely discredited. You can't control your own employees, they lie to your own face… Has Foaly even _told_ you about the Wired ? I don't think so. "

" That's enough, Kall ! " intervened Vinyaya before Root could do anything irreparable to the former Commander's physical well-being. " This is childish. Our city is threatened by a malevolent Mudhacker, so you might want to deal with your testosterone level later. "

" Raine is right about that ", Lope said. " Foaly is behind bars right now, we can deal with him afterwards. The Mudgirl is the real emergency. "

" Oh, and on what account would _you_ decide what's the emergency and what's not ? " Gabion asked in a falsely polite tone. " Kall wasn't talking about Foaly. If we are to face a human siege, how are we supposed to trust a Commander who can't control his own troops… or his DNA cannons ? "

" Come on, this isn't about politics anymore ! " Cahartez exclaimed, trying to regain control of the situation. " We have discussed this a thousand times before. Your party disapproves the cannons, if we hadn't had them Haven would be ruled by the B'wa Kell by now, end of conversation. "

" This is an abuse of power ", Hamon cut vividly.

" What abuse ? I'm the Chairman, you weakling idiot ! "

" Me, an idiot ? Have you seen _your_ face with this stupid hat ? "

" For Frond's sake, how old are you Hamon ?! "

Holly started to feel nauseous.

The Fairy Council was a bunch of power-craving politicians or useless do-gooders. As they started shouting more and more loudly at each other, she drew the minidisk out of her LEP suit's front pocket. She kept it in her hand, her mind wandering, escaping the absurdity of the situation.

There was so much at stake. Their freedom. Their lives, maybe. In the hands of fools. That couldn't be. She _musn't_ let that be.

" Artemis Fowl. "

Suddenly, the room silenced, as if the name of the Irish Mudboy carried some magical power. The Fairy Council despised him and couldn't manage to take him seriously ; but despite his young age, and over almost two years, he had been public enemy number one, and the only human one faced by the People over quite some number of decades. Even if he wasn't considered a threat anymore, that was one thing all the Council members had in common : the fear that this little monster would come back.

Holly clenched her fist upon the minidisk. She now had the Council's full attention.

" During the Prague expedition, I've discovered that Selene was only a pawn. Artemis is the real mastermind behind all of this. Somehow… he has discovered the Wired. "

Cahartez thought back to the anonymous email, and felt an ice-cold sweat run down his spine.

After a long silence, Markos raised his voice.

" This can't be. The boy has been mindwiped. "

" And after that, he's been under close LEP surveillance ", added Vinyaya. " If he had done anything, we would have noticed. "

" That's impossible he's done anything. "

" No human has ever come back after a mindwipe. "

The Council members were back into talking pointlessly. Holly couldn't believe it. She felt like screaming her lungs out. She knew there were some truths, you were too scared to hear ; but they had to do something. They had to believe her. But she didn't know how to force them.

And then, a cold, dark voice, speaking Gnommish with an Irish accent, rose up from behind her, echoing on the walls and ceiling of the Statues Room.

" Pardon me for the interruption… "

Holly and Root jumped, taking hurried steps away from the San D'Klass statue. The Council members bolted out of their chairs, their horrified eyes turned towards the darkness below the Frond King sculpture, where the voice came from. Come on. They had just dreamed that, right ?

But then, slowly, Artemis Fowl himself walked out of the shadows, a complacent, delighted smirk on his face, more evil-looking than ever.

" … but it seems like you were talking about me. "

**ARTEMIS' OFFICE, FOWL MANOR**

Of course, Artemis wasn't really in the Frond Memorial.

He could have been, if he had wanted to : now he was in complete control of Haven, diverting a private shuttle would be child's play – just as activating the DNA cannons ; or hacking into the city's main core's nuclear battery. Or many other things of the same caliber, which would erase Haven City and its inhabitants from the underground map in the same amount of time it would take the young Fowl to write the instructions on his keyboard.

But Artemis didn't want to annihilate the fairy civilization – he wanted to make them suffer. To humiliate them, deeply. To allow them to clung onto the belief that there was hope left, and take it away from them, bit by bit, until they realized _who_ was really in power. And then, ultimately, to force them to submit to his absolute superiority.

He had already done that with Foaly. Now, it was time for the Fairy Council to understand that they shouldn't have underestimated him.

Artemis shifted position in his seat, grabbing a crystal glass on his desk in the process. He swallowed a mouthful of painkillers, and took a few sips of spring water. His migraine wore off – slightly.

He had followed the entire War Council's deliberations with the Memorial's security cameras system – and as predicted, Cahartez hadn't exposed the leaked document Artemis had sent him. But that didn't matter : Captain Short did an excellent job at revealing Foaly's involvement with the Wired, in the worst way possible. The fairy law was sealed with spells and magic : even if they wanted to, the Council wouldn't be able to erase the fact that Foaly was guilty of high treason.

The centaur wouldn't be a bother anymore. Ever.

Then, Artemis waited patiently for his name to come up.

And when it did, just as planned, he infiltrated and activated the room's holographic projection system.

The effect was even more breath-taking than he had wished for. Lope screamed, Julius Root looked like he was on the verge of a heart attack, Cahartez's conical hat fell from his bold skull and Hamon had straightforwardly fainted. As for everyone else, they were utterly horrified. Artemis laughed, overwhelmed by a feeling of sheer jubilation.

That was _memorable_ indeed.

As programmed, after its spectacular entrance, the hologram stood patiently, waiting for the fairies' predictable first reaction. Almost immediately, once the initial shock had dissipated, Kall, Root, Vinyaya and Short pulled out their personal blasters or Neutrinos, and shot at Artemis' projection in an almost perfect ensemble. How lovely.

But of course, the hologram merely bugged, the laser beams going through it as if it was made of thin air ; and _finally_ , the fairies understood the trick. Before they could completely process it, the digital Artemis raised its arms, as if asking for a respectful silence. At the same time, in his office, the real Artemis started typing, without even looking at the keyboard.

The hologram snapped its fingers. Holly and Root immediately raised their Neutrinos again, ready to shoot. For a split second, the young Fowl's pixellized body Glitched, and nothing seemed to happen.

But then, the two LEP officers dropped their blasters on the ground. Just as the seven Council members, they staggered, inhaling loudly, their hands reaching for their throats.

 _Grasping for air_.

As Markos and Cahartez, the oldest fairies in the room, started to fall on their knees, panting heavily, the digital Artemis inspected his perfectly manicured nails, as if completely unconcerned with the situation. But above ground, in Ireland, the young boy was exulting.

He literally had the most powerful and influent fairy politicians at his feet.

Her face distorted by terror and pain, Captain Holly Short crawled, her legs shaking, trying to reach her Neutrino, which laid on the ground a few steps away. Both real and digital Artemis rolled their eyes, and shook their head amusingly.

" While you are wasting precious seconds in trying to resist me ", the hologram said, " you should know that Haven-City is depressurizing. Slowly. "

Captain Short stopped dead in her tracks. Thanks to the hollow silence that followed Artemis' sentence, everyone could now hear the painful groans and inarticulate scared sounds coming from the Mausoleum room, where there was almost the entire LEP staff.

Artemis typed on his keyboard, and his digital double raised its right hand. With a little, almost violent Glitch, another smaller hologram materialized, hovering above Artemis' palm : Haven-City's manometer. The pressure gauge, usually indicating one thousand hectopascals, now was at seven and fifty hundred.

" According to my estimations ", the hologram stated, " you have about thirty hours left before the diseased start to fall in respiratory distress ; and a bit less than double before you are all dead. "

Artemis allowed his digital self to give his hostages a scathing, vampiric grin.

" You might leverage this timeframe, by fulfilling a… _command_ for me. That _might_ incite me towards more leniency… that might. "

Artemis took a sip of spring water as if he was eating popcorn at a movie theater, hoping for a potential reaction. But it seemed like the fairies were too astonished – and literally breathless – to speak.

A little bit disappointing, but after all, he was far from being finished with them. Everything was only going to get funnier.

The hologram snapped his fingers again, and seven little beeps echoed in an almost lightly fashion, in the Council members' official costumes' pockets.

" You'll find all the sketches and the final design on your digital tablets ", the hologram explained. " Put a great attention to the _scaling_. You have the Koboi Laboratories' 3D assembly line at your disposal ; I'll contact you back as soon as you're finished. But let me give you a friendly advice : you should hurry… it is going to take a while. "

All seven Council members, still panting, exchanged a frightened, undecided look. Eventually, Gabion pulled out his tablet, and opened the e-mail Artemis had just sent them.

His eyes widened as he discovered the plans, and he almost choked himself when he read the scaling indications. Astounded, he gazed alternatively into his tablet, then to the smirking hologram. Despite the lack of oxygen, the pixie managed to utter an incredulous, pleading question.

" … This is a joke, right ? "

Suddenly, the hologram ceased smiling, and the atmosphere seemed to grow even colder. The digital Fowl stared deeply into each fairy's eyes, its pale lips twisted in loathing and wickedness. When it spoke, its ruthless, ferocious expression Glitched hazardingly, making all the nine fairies before him cringe in fear.

" You wanted me to forget your existence ", the hologram said. " Well, let me assure you… "

Artemis typed the final words, an insane glow in his icy blue eyes.

" … _you will remember me._ "

.

Angeline was sitting in the music room.

She wasn't playing music ; in fact, she wasn't even at the piano. She was on the floor, her forehead on the bay window, staring down at the garden without seeing it.

She wouldn't be able to tell for how long she had been there, lost in her thoughts, unable to move. It felt like she was sinking in the soundproof carpet, slowly ; soon, she would be swallowed. Would she fall then, and crush on the large table of the dining room, in the first floor ?

Angeline's eyes flickered, her eyelids heavy. That was exactly how her depression had started, about four years ago. She knew it perfectly. But the cold glass of the bay window against her forehead numbed her mind, enveloping her pain and her feelings in a soft, clouded torpor.

It felt. Neither good, nor bad ; it just felt. That was nice.

" Mrs Fowl ? "

It took Angeline a few minutes to emerge from her lethargy. She turned her head towards the door, and met Butler's gaze. He was a true professional, and nothing in his tone or expression indicated how he felt about seeing the Fowl lady slumped on the music room's carpet like a ragdoll.

" Artemis has left his office ", the manservant said.

Angeline's heart missed a beat. _Artemis has left his office_. It sounded so much like something the Major would have said, some years earlier.

The more time passed, the more Artemis became like his father… but not exactly the version of Artemis Senior that Angeline would have wanted. And it just broke her heart to realize that she and her husband were the only ones to blame for that.

Artemis Senior had fed his son with the Fowl family values, taught him that gold and business were all that mattered, that sensibility was nothing but a weakness. Angeline had tried to temper that, to encourage the little boy's interest in the arts, to give him a sense of justice and generosity ; but when her husband had gone missing, she had completely collapsed. She had abandoned her son, forcing him to take over responsabilities far beyond his age.

But maybe she might still fix her parental failure. That's what Lilia, the strange Czech orphan, had told her, encouraging her to reach out to Artemis and keep him from whatever he was planning.

Angeline felt like it was too late. But she had to try.

" Could you ask him to come here, please ? Tell him I want to see him. "

The bodyguard nodded, and left. Angeline didn't move. She tried to stand up, but her body was so heavy, and everything seemed so pointless. Artemis could read through her like an open book – pretending that she wasn't hurt by his behaviour, his secrecy and the distance he had installed between them would be an insult to his intelligence. She wasn't strong. Then so be it.

" Mother. I am here. "

Angeline smiled. She had feared that he would just stand by the threshold, cold and business-like like he had started to be constantly these past months ; but Artemis had spoken softly, and he had crossed the room to squat down beside her. He looked exhausted, but satisfied.

" I'm sorry ", Angeline said quietly. " I must look terrible right now. "

" Well, so do I, I imagine ", Artemis replied.

" You look truly awful, but I see you're pleased with yourself. What have you been doing ? "

Artemis' gaze hardened. Angeline sighed.

" You can't tell me, I guess… Because you fear my reaction, or because you don't want to hurt me ? "

Artemis hesitated.

" A little bit of both. "

With a huge, enormous effort, Angeline managed to raise her hand, and replaced a hair strand behind the young boy's ear, caringly.

_I'm your mother, but when we speak, you sound like an adult talking to a child. It frightens me._

Artemis didn't respond to her gesture. His face was unreadable. Angeline felt so heavy, she wondered how she hadn't been swallowed by the carpet yet.

There was absolutely nothing she could do. Except, maybe, try to understand.

" Artemis. Can you do just one thing for me ? Answer me honestly when I ask you a question. _Truly_ honestly. "

Any hint of satisfaction had disappeared from the young Fowl's face. He just looked sick and tired. But Angeline saw that he would obey.

" How are you feeling right now ? " his mother asked.

" Sad. "

" Why ? "

" Because you are. "

" I'm sad become I'm powerless. It's the worst thing a parent can be. "

Artemis nodded, absent-mindedly. The mention of power seemed to trouble him, somehow. Angeline replaced another rebellious raven black hair strand, catching her son's attention again. She spoke, softly.

" What have you done ? "

Artemis looked down, hesitating. But Angeline was right : she was powerless, and he was all powerful. There was nothing she could do to stop him, and it would hurt her less to know what he was up to, instead of being kept in the shadow. So he answered.

" For the past two years, I've been deceived and betrayed by a group of people. They have used and humiliated me. But I have unfolded their treachery, along with … a _tool_ , let's say. A digital tool. I might say it is extremely powerful, but that would be highly euphemistic. I learned how to master it, and even though it comes with a price, I'm turning their technology against them. I've decided to avenge myself. I make them pay, individually, for each of their offenses. I break them, the same way they tried to break me. _And the more I_ _do_ _so_ _, the more powerful I grow_. Soon, I'll be totally unstoppable. And then, I'll _crush_ them. "

Angeline felt a huge, painful hole in her heart. The more he spoke, the more Artemis' face distorted with sadistic hatred and paranoia. Angeline could see the insanity lurking in his wide, destroyed eyes. She could see how he was completely intoxicated with power.

That wasn't Artemis. That was a complete stranger. A despicable person.

But the young woman reached both her arms to him, and drew him into a fearful, but loving embrace. For that monstruous, crazy person was her son.

At first, the young boy tightened his muscles, but eventually, he let go, and took his mother into his arms, allowing her to ran her hand down his hair, and gently kiss him on the forehead as if she was comforting a scared child. She had done that before, a few years ago, and Artemis knew she needed it – to reassure herself.

" Seeking revenge is vain, honey ", Angeline whispered softly. " Don't let a pride wound take the better of you… you're so much smarter than that. You are just going to hurt yourself, along with those people. No one will be victorious. "

Artemis shook his head comprehensively.

" I know you're saying that because you want to protect me, but you don't understand, mother. I won't be able to find rest until I'm done with them. I'm not taking any more risks than necessary, and I know exactly what I'm doing. The sooner my revenge is completed, the sooner we'll be able to go back to our regular lives. "

" Do you even know what a regular life is ? " Angeline said with a joyless chuckle. " You really cannot see how the use of this so-called tool is deteriorating your mental state. "

Artemis backed away, so he could look at his mother in the eyes.

" Are you the one patronizing me about sanity ? " he said.

His tone was even, but it only made his remark more brutal. Angeline smiled warmly. Her eyes were shining, but her cheeks were covered in tears.

" Yes, I am. You see, I know what I'm talking about. "

Artemis hesitated, for a brief second. Then, he snuggled out of his mother's hug, and stood up.

" You shouldn't stay alone, mother. Why don't you spend some time with Lilia ? She likes music. I'm sure she would love to watch you play. "

The young Fowl didn't even wait for Angeline to answer. He just turned around, and left. That was enough energy wasted. Now, he needed to use the time he had given the fairies to rest and prepare for his next intervention.

In the corridor, he met Butler and Selene. Apparently, they had been standing there during his whole conversation with his mother. Deep within, Artemis didn't mind – he couldn't blame them for being worried about him. But why wouldn't anyone just give him a break, and trust him ? He controlled the situation perfectly.

Artemis stopped to face the ungainly duet, staring at them alternatively.

" My mother is again displaying alarming symptoms of depression ", he said. " Selene, have her under a careful watch. I don't want her to hurt herself. As for you, Butler, call the Black Edelweiss and sign her in. I want her gone by tomorrow at the latest. "

Butler was so shocked it took him a few seconds to process the information – and by then, Artemis had already left downstairs, probably to go lock himself in his bedroom.

The Black Edelweiss was one of the finest mental institution in Switzerland. During the years when Angeline had been crippled with severe bipolar disorder, the Swiss asylum's name had been looming above the Manor, but never pronounced. Artemis had never resigned himself to have his mother signed in. Because he needed her by his side, but also because he would have ended up taken away by the Irish social services, as his father wasn't around at that time.

It seemed like the young boy didn't need or want Angeline around anymore – yet Butler couldn't even begin to imagine how Artemis Senior would feel about his wife being signed into a mental institution by his own son, while he was away on a business trip.

Butler exchanged a look with Selene, then left to make the phone call. What else could he do ? It was not as if Angeline _wasn't_ mentally unstable. Maybe that putting her to safety wasn't the worst solution. The bodyguard wished it could be that simple with his young principle, but he was growing more and more hopeless by the minute. Artemis was unreachable for his enemies indeed, but he was struggling with a much bigger threat.

And how could Butler protect the young boy from himself ?

Selene looked at the bodyguard, while he exited the corridor, and entered the music room somberly.

" Hello ", the young girl said.

Angeline now completely laid on the carpet, staring at the ceiling. She didn't even seem to notice Selene's presence. The young girl felt her vision blurring, and she sat on the piano seat. She cried, for a few minutes, but as soon as she was calmed down, she started thinking.

Angeline was unable to do anything for Artemis. She was too fragile, and somehow, she loved him too much. She didn't want to brutalize him, even if that was what he needed. There was no reasoning or moral lessons possible anymore : the only thing that could stop him was brute force.

Selene could now see how that wasn't a job for Angeline : the Czech girl shared enough traits with her father to know that he wouldn't react well to a blunt approach. Fortunately for her, Angeline had been smooth enough, otherwise Artemis might have completely crushed her.

Selene massaged her temples, thinking hard. Butler would be able to do something significant, but he didn't allow himself, fearing that it would mean losing Artemis definitely. Angeline needed to be as far from her son as possible before anything happened to her – that might be Artemis' only selfless decision so far. Selene herself was useless ; her father just wouldn't listen to her.

Then, after exploring every option, the young girl decided there was only one person left that might stop him.

Artemis' own father.


	11. Database 10 : Corrupted File

**Database #10 : Corrupted File**

**FOWL MANOR, IRELAND**

Artemis turned, and turned around in his bed, unable to get to sleep.

Since he had started using the Wired on a regular basis, these past weeks, his insomnia crises had rarefied, then completely disappeared. He wouldn't say he had never slept better in his entire life ; but in a way, the Wired had filled all the empty, uncomfortable space in his mind. Entirely focused on his revenge scheme, benumbed by the painkillers, Artemis would just work until he collapsed out of fatigue. Not idealistic, but the young Fowl couldn't really remember a time when he had actually had a truly peaceful sleep anyway.

But tonight, even though his body claimed for rest, his heart refused to leave him in peace.

Artemis opened his sore eyes, and his gaze lost itself in the darkness of his bedroom. He had drawn the curtains, and there was only a small ray of daylight piercing through the room. The young Fowl watched the dust floating in the air, listening to the pulsing of his migraine. The alarm clock ticked on the bedtable – it was a quiet sound, but it pierced through the boy's eardrums like thunderclaps. He had locked himself up in his bedroom at around midday. It was about two p.m.

Artemis buried his face in his pillows, pulling the blankets closer around him. He _needed_ to sleep. It wouldn't have bothered him so much, if his health condition wasn't so important. Important to the plan.

Suddenly, Artemis cowered in a crouched position, pressing both his hands on his chest, heartbeat increasing.

Thinking about the plan only made the sting in his heart worse ; at the point it became physically painful. Artemis closed his eyes as tightly as he could, and tried to breathe slowly.

 _I am the God of the Wired. I am the most powerful being on Earth. Nothing can go wrong. Nothing_.

But something, deep within his heart, protested.

 _Nothing can happen to_ me _. But if I make only one mistake…_

Artemis reopened his eyes. He had never been the kind of child to be afraid of the dark, but for an instant, he felt as if the darkness in his bedroom was _alive_ , absorbing the light, infiltrating every corner, creeping up the walls, pressing upon his skinny body.

The young Fowl tried to reason, to reassure himself. The plan had unfolded perfectly, up until now ; he had outthinked anything the fairies might attempt, always being several steps ahead. He had imagined, prepared and calculated all of the various pressure tactics at his disposal. Extremely careful to never put the People in _real_ mortal danger.

But the depressurization of Haven City was one of the most dangerous thing he could do to the fairies. If they didn't make it in time…

Artemis shook his head vigorously, trying to temper the fear rising. The thirty hours estimation he had given them was quite generous, and they would most certainly be done with his command before dusk – their 3D printers were much more performing than humans', and the warning shot had been brutal enough to make sure they understood how serious the threat was.

 _But what if I am forced to stop the depressurization, for any reason ?_ _That would mean loose all credibility…_

That wasn't going to happen. Everything had been calculated, and re-calculated. The fairies had plenty enough time to do what they were asked to.

_But what if the Fairy Council just doesn't obey me ?_

That was ridiculous. Of course they would obey. They were trapped in their bunker city, a knife under not only their throats, but all their citizens. They wouldn't even _consider_ the option of disobeying.

_But what if I loose control ? What if I miscalculated ? What if someone dies because of me ?_

Artemis brutally pushed his blankets aside, and headed straight for his private bathroom. In the medecine cabinet, he grabbed a bottle of sleeping pills. As he swallowed one, then another, then three more, he thought back to his father's words, from a long time ago.

 _The path to wealth and success is not easy, and many things come with a price. In this journey, your_ conscience _, my boy, is your worst enemy. If it torments you… just silence it._

Artemis drank a glass of sink water, and went back to his bedroom, already feeling groggy. He collapsed on his bed, forcing himself to forget everything about the plan, the Wired, the fairies, his mother, his fears, his doubts. Eventually, he fell asleep.

Only to get nightmares.

.

Butler was peeling potatoes for supper when he heard the floor crackling upstairs. He listened carefully, but the waterpipes noises indicated that Artemis was taking a shower. The manservant put some water to boil, and resumed the crafting of tonight's soup, lost in his thoughts.

He had always loved cooking, enjoying the artistry of flavor-combining and the peacefulness of the moment ; but lately, his heart just wasn't in it.

The bodyguard reduced the heat under the boiling water, and thought about calling Juliet, when he'd be done with the soup. He had been surprisingly pleased with her decision to quit Madame Ko's training and give up on her bodyguard career, but he missed her presence around, even if she had never understood the idea of meditating while cooking, and always kept on talking when they were in the kitchen together.

Butler shook his head with a joyless smile, as he poured the hot water in a teapot with some Earl Grey. Call Juliet, of course… and what would he tell her ?That he felt like being sixty years old, had unexplained heart seizures, and that his principle was slowly becoming insane and engaged in a revenge plan involving the psychological torture of a magical people, commonly known as fairies ? She would have him locked up even before he had finished his sentence.

The manservant heard footsteps down the stairs, and dropped the potatoes gently. He was pouring the Earl Grey in his charge's porcelain mug when Artemis entered. Butler had grudgingly grown accustomed to the boy's new hollow features and reddened eyes, but he was worried to see that his principle looked even more exhausted than when he had retired in his bedroom, nine hours ago. He wore his usual Armani suit, but his hair was still wet and messy, and his eyebags puffed. Artemis fell heavily on the nearest chair, massaging his face.

" You slept ? " the bodyguard asked, concerned, while putting the mug on the kitchen table.

" Barely ", Artemis answered, " and it wasn't truly restful. "

" When do you plan on… coming back to the fairies ? " Butler asked cautiously.

Artemis gathered his hands around the warm tea mug, and took a moment to reply.

" I've set an alarm on my cellphone. It will warn me one hour before the fairies are done with what I've asked them. "

Butler hesitated, wondering if he should insist or not, but Artemis felt his uneasiness immediately. When the young Fowl turned his eyes to him, there wasn't any glimpse of hesitation in them.

" It should be over in less than five hours. I guarantee you they are not really endangered. "

The bodyguard smiled weakly, and focused back on his soup.

" I'm preparing a butternut-potato soup, and there are also leftovers from the lunch's risotto, and some _crème brûlée_. Is that okay ? Do you want something else ? "

Artemis shrugged, his gaze vague.

" That seems alright to me. "

Butler felt a little knot in his heart, but said nothing, and focused back on the soup. When Artemis was younger, the bodyguard sometimes replaced the Manor's chef to craft the boy's meals, if his parents were having a professional dinner or similar things ; and Artemis would always thank him and give him warm compliments – even though the young boy had never liked dessert, he had never missed an occasion to praise the manservant's _crème brûlée_ recipe. But lately, the young Fowl had just stopped paying attention to food, and it seemed as if his distaste for dessert had grown into a patent repulsion.

Butler wondered if there was a bad memory attached to this drastic evolution, but he probably would never find out. A few weeks ago, Artemis might have shared that with him ; but the young boy had brought their relationship back to the most strictly professional possible, and Butler had to admit that it really saddened him. He hoped Madame Ko would never find out.

The silence grew thick between the two of them, only disturbed by Butler's knife expertly slashing the butternut. Artemis brought the tea to his mouth, but didn't drink, his eyes still staring at nothing in particular.

" Butler… "

The manservant rolled the butternut slices in the blender, along with the potatoes.

" Yes ? "

Artemis' fingers pressed harder against his mug.

" Is my mother… gone ? "

Butler held his moves, and turned around slowly. Artemis didn't flinch, but his gaze was now extremely focused, and his bodyguard knew him well enough to know what it meant – that the young Fowl was gathering all his will and determination, to keep himself from crying. A skill he had learned in his childhood – concealing the weaknesses. Another brilliant idea from his father.

The bodyguard didn't answer his charge's question – there was no need. He had followed his orders as professionally as always, and Angeline was certainly half-trip from Switzerland by now. Her absence was a painful, hollow presence on itself.

Putting his utensils down, Butler went by Artemis' side, and put one of his enormous hands on the boy's shoulder.

" That was the right thing to do ", he said gently.

Artemis closed his eyes, and nodded. When he spoke, he truly did his best to be as composed as always – but with the fatigue, he just couldn't keep his voice from shaking, even if only slightly.

" I know, but… it's still painful. "

The young boy paused.

" … I dreamt about her. I was trying to protect her, but the only way to keep her safe… was to have her forget about my very existence. "

Butler held his breath. It had been so long since Artemis had opened himself up like this, that the manservant had no idea how to react, or what to say. He just tightened his grip on the young Fowl's shoulder, tenderly.

He didn't speak, but there was no need. Right now, in the Fowl Manor's kitchen, as they just stood there side by side, silently, Artemis and Butler's bond had reconstructed, more solid and deep than ever. Artemis didn't need his bodyguard to say anything : he could feel the words just with the man's caring presence. The same simple, comforting presence that had accompanied his entire childhood, through the best and the worst.

_You'll be okay. I'm here._

Suddenly, they heard footsteps in the corridor, and by the time Selene reached and opened the door, Butler was back to his soup and Artemis to his Earl Grey, both of them acting as if nothing had happened.

The young girl stood on the threshold, sensing that she had interrupted something, unsure what to do. Butler rescued her from her discomfort by serving another cup of tea and handling it to her. For some reason, he seemed… relieved. A little. Selene couldn't really manage to get why, because Artemis wasn't truly a pleasant sigh – now even more than usual.

She sat next to him at the kitchen table, and drank a sip of hot tea.

" … Are you okay, father ? " she eventually asked. " It seems like you didn't sleep well. "

Artemis nodded, without even turning to face her.

" I didn't, but I'm fine. "

The avatar waited, hoping for a " _What about you, Selene ?_ " ; but it never came.

" You might want to leave the kitchen ", Butler said. " I'm blending the vegetables, it's going to be quite noisy. I'll tell you when supper is ready. "

Artemis grimaced at the idea of a loud blender noise, and quickly left, abandoning his tea on the table. Selene's heart flopped, and she hesitated for a second. But she stood up, and darted out the room.

" Artemis ! Wait ! "

In the corridor, the young Fowl turned his head, raising an eyebrow.

" What do you want ? "

Selene stopped. She instinctively started fiddling with her dress's cufflinks, but she didn't lower her head.

" What if… we spent some time together ? " she asked.

Artemis seemed truly surprised at the proposition. Selene took the opportunity, and continued :

" You're waiting for the fairies to be done with something, right ? Since you've got some time for yourself, and can't manage to rest, why not… I don't know, play a game with me ? "

The girl bit her lower lip.

" I've always wanted to play with someone, but there was nobody online that could match my skills. It was just boring, and not very funny. "

Artemis pondered, taken aback. At first, he wanted to reply that they were both too old for games ; but then, he remembered that Selene was technically only a few weeks old. He also recalled how his grandfather had taught him how to play chess, but never to dispute a single game with him.

The young Fowl's expression softened, and he gave Selene a little crooked smile.

" What game did you have in mind ? "

The girl's face brightened up with happiness.

" Abalone ? " she suggested.

" Interesting choice ", Artemis replied, " but I'd say too easy. What about chess ? "

Selene pouted.

" Too classic. I'd like to try something more… challenging. What about… "

She hesitated for a second, then snapped her fingers victoriously.

" What about Go ? "

Artemis smiled appreciatingly. The Chinese abstract strategy board game was an excellent choice indeed, for two minds like theirs. There wouldn't really be much suspense – of course he was going to win –, but that would keep his thoughts occupied.

He pointed his arm towards the living room, inviting Selene to follow him.

" Go it is, then. "

.

One hour later, the two youngsters were installed face to face, on the living room's expensive Persian rug, the Go board installed on the small table between them.

Artemis had offered to put on some background music, and the room was filled with the aethereal notes of Claude Debussy's _Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun_. The orchestral piece enveloped them in a soft, cosy atmosphere, silencing all peripheral noises from outside or from the kitchen ; Artemis and Selene were both entirely focused on the board, placing their stones carefully, one after the other.

Sometimes, Selene raised her eyes, and it warmed her heart to see how relaxed her father's features were. Suddenly, she smiled, and whispered, breaking the silence.

" I'm happy. "

Artemis raised his piercing blue eyes at her, and for once, he didn't examine her as if she was a lab specimen, or an inconvenience. He saw her as what she was : a true human being. His daughter. Even if only metaphorically speaking. He smiled back, and answered, also in a murmur.

" Me too. "

Then, he laid a stone on the board, capturing one of her largest territory, and chuckled at her discomfited face.

" Don't look so disappointed. Go is much more sophisticated than chess, it takes some time to master it. You're a fast-learner, already. "

" Can we restart another game ? "

Artemis checked his watch, but there was plenty of time.

" Of course, if you want. "

They picked their stones back, Selene taking the blacks, and Artemis the whites. The _Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun_ record finished, and the first movement of _The Sea_ started playing. Selene gathered her stones in her hand, and inspected the board, biting her thumb, taking her time to calculate her moves.

" This piece of music is truly superb ", the Czech girl said, while placing her first two stones on the board. " Debussy, you said ? "

" He is one of the finest impressionist musicians, in my opinion ", Artemis replied, placing his own white stone. " I've always been quite fond of nineteenth century French composers ; but my favourite is Erik Satie. "

Selene smiled, but she felt a flash of guilt piercing through her stomach.

She was sincerely happy to finally bond with her father, and learn more about him ; but she wasn't being honest with him.

Her true goal was to keep him _occupied_ – and most importantly, occupied away from his digital devices. Artemis Senior had warned her that he would need some time to complete everything, and her mission was to make sure that he would be unnoticed by his son.

The young girl knew that Artemis wouldn't collaborate willfully if she told him the truth, and she knew that she was doing the right thing ; but she just couldn't help feeling guilty for manipulating him.

They kept playing for another full hour, listening to Debussy in a calm, respectful silence. At one point, Butler brought supper, and they ate all three together, leaving the Go board on spot ; and Selene was thrilled to see that the young Fowl didn't check his cellphone once during the meal.

She had assimilated his strategy from their previous match, and when they resumed playing, the game was much more tensed, their respective scores a lot tighter. Ultimately, even if she was really close behind, Artemis was still leading by a couple points, and Selene found herself in a desperate position.

Despite all her efforts to make the game last longer, there weren't many more interesting moves she could attempt, and logic would have her asking to end the match ; but she feared that Artemis would grow bored, and refuse to start another game. What would she do then to keep him distracted ?

" Selene ? Is everything alright ? "

The young girl raised her head hastily. Artemis frowned, suspicion already rising in his narrowed eyes. Selene's brain started overheating, trying desperately to find a satisfying explanation for her distraction.

Suddenly, her dilemma was cut short : Artemis' cellphone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket, and his expression shifted completely, back to his usual severe and business-cold self.

" _Finally_. What had taken them so long ? " he snapped, almost contemptuously.

The young Fowl started typing to cancel the alarm, and stood up, abandoning the Go board and his daughter behind him. Selene immediately rushed to follow him, her heart pounding.

" The fairies are finished ? " she asked, while they crossed the corridor and started climbing the entrance hall's large stairs.

" Almost. I programmed the alarm with comfortable margins – I don't want to risk being late. " Artemis answered, almost absent-mindedly.

Selene panted. Her physical condition was still shaky at best, and the young Fowl was walking fast. The young girl felt a ball of apprehension falling upon her stomach. What if Artemis Senior hadn't finished what he had planned ? She didn't even know _what_ he had planned !

But she found out soon enough.

When Artemis reached his office, and typed the digicode's password, a small red bulb beeped almost mockingly.

The door remained sealed shut.

Artemis stood astonished for a long moment. Then, a cold, murderous hatred started to grow in his eyes, and Selene took a few steps back, freaked out.

The young Fowl turned his head to her, slowly, like a wolf ready to attack. His voice was low, and threatening.

" _Selene… what have you done ?_ "

The Czech girl found herself unable to move at first, petrified in terror ; then she panicked, and ran away, as fast as she could.

In a very unlikely fashion for him, Artemis started running after her immediately. His blood was boiling with rage, providing his muscles with a speed and strength he didn't know he possessed.

He should have known. He should have known that Selene would betray him, sooner or later. Once again, he had let his guard down, and forgot everything about his childhood's business lessons.

 _Never trust anyone_.

His fists clenched as he ran down the corridor and into the stairway. He should have known. He should have known how dangerous she was – she knew every single one of his weaknesses, and of course she did : _she shared them all_. Selene had fooled him. She had endeared him, and stabbed him in the back. But that wouldn't happen again.

 _She's not getting out of this unscathed_.

At the bottom of the stairs, Selene, panting heavily, started to slow down, her heart threatening to burst out of her chest. Suddenly, Artemis' fingers clenched on her skinny arm like a hawk's claws, and she screamed.

" _By God, what is going on in here ?!_ "

Both Selene and Artemis jumped, startled. The Czech girl swallowed, still terrified, and the young Fowl felt as if his heart had stopped beating.

His prosthetic leg and Victorian cane clicking on the floor alternatively, Artemis Fowl Senior, still wearing his expensive Burberry coat, stood in the middle of the main hall, towering the two small teenagers with his full height, fire darting from his eyes.

Much like his son, the elder Fowl was famous among the international organized crime network for his unwavering calmness, and his never flinching, perfectly-controlled temper.

But no one in the organized crime network had ever dared attacking his wife.

" _Artemis Fowl the Second ! You better explain yourself, AT ONCE !_ " he yelled, his deep voice echoing on the marbled floor and stained glass windows.

Alerted by the screaming, Butler irrupted in the entrance hall, Sig Sauer in his hand, and stopped dead in his tracks when he saw his charge's father, who gave him an infuriated look that would have made a Mafiya Godfather shiver.

Taking advantage of the diversion, Selene escaped her creator's grip, and ran away, in the depths of the Manor. Quickly, Artemis regained his composure, becoming, all of a sudden, dangerously calm. He turned to his bodyguard, his voice cold and ruthless.

" Go get her, Butler. Lock her somewhere with no phone or Internet access, and make sure she doesn't escape. "

" But… "

" Butler, that's an order. " Artemis cut, firmly.

The bodyguard hesitated, but there was nothing he could do.

" Get out of our way, _Butler_ ", Artemis Senior said menacingly, pressing on the manservant's name with despise. " I need to talk to my son in _private_. "

The manservant lowered his gun, and obeyed, heavy-hearted. It had always been cleary stipulated in his contract, which he had signed a few months before Artemis' birth : he wasn't, under any circumstances, to interfere with his charge's kinsmen' parental authority. Despite his own opinion in the matter.

Artemis Senior waited until Butler's footsteps had faded away, then turned back to face his son. Artemis had prepared himself mentally, but the look of disappointment on his father's face was something he would never grow accustomed to. It was too painful. But he concealed the wound, deep within, and stared back. Yet, something was strange : it was easier than usual.

Artemis suddenly realized that his father's disapproval didn't sadden him.

It angered him.

" Who's that girl ? " Artemis Senior asked severely. " What is she doing here ? "

" That is none of your business, father. "

It took the grown man a few seconds to process what his son had just said.

" … _I beg your pardon ?_ ", he said in an incredulous tone.

Artemis raised his chin, and replied in the same ice cold, confident voice.

" You heard me perfectly. That girl is none of your business. Much alike what I do in my office. I'm guessing you called the security company and modified the digicode's password ? "

Artemis Senior's knuckles were white from clutching his cane's pommel, in an effort not to become physically violent. Despite his fury, his voice was still as even and composed as always.

" Yes, I have ; and I have also frozen your bank accounts. You're too immature for the freedom of movement we've been granting you with, obviously. I don't know what devil has gotten into your head lately, but… "

He paused, as if gathering his words. Artemis just stood there, his face emotionless.

" … I've tried to cancel Angeline's registeration at the… clinic ", his father pursued, an hint of pain in his voice. " I've called them, but they refused to reconsider. Apparently, there was a psychiatric expertise joined to her file. Where did you find the pathetic swindler who wrote it ? "

Artemis clenched his fists.

" F. Roy Dean Schlippe isn't a _swindler._ It's me. I wrote the expertise myself. "

This time, it wasn't disappointment on his father's face. It was sheer shock.

It felt so thrilling, that Artemis couldn't help but press the knife further.

" I wrote mother's psychiatric expertise ", he said with a twisted look in his eyes, " and trust me, there were a _lot_ of things to say. Not that you would know, of course. _You weren't there_. "

Artemis Senior was breathless.

" … How _dare_ you speak of your mother like that ? How _dare_ you ?! _…_ I can't believe it ! I can't believe you just put your own mother into a clinic… "

" _The Edelweiss is an ASYLUM, and you know it perfectly !_ " Artemis exploded.

The young boy silenced, taken aback by his own audacity. He had never lost his temper like that in front of his father. Never. Artemis Senior himself was at a loss for words. Eventually, he spoke, shaking his head negatively as if the gesture could erase what had just been said.

" … Alright, that's about enough now. Obviously, there's something wrong with you. Go to your room while I fix everything with the Black Edelweiss, and we'll continue this conversation once you've gotten back to your senses. "

But Artemis didn't obey. He started laughing openly, in a joyless, hateful chuckle. In his heart, there was a pressing, awful urge to attack, to rip apart, to destroy. He had never been this filled with hatred in his entire life, and right now he couldn't care less about his father's opinion.

" Because you still believe you can fix anything ? " he retorted, false disbelief in his voice. " You still believe you can tell me what to do ? "

" _Artemis, this is enough ! I am your father, and you will do what you are told !_ " Artemis Senior exclaimed, baffled by his son's disrespect.

" I'm. _Not_. Going. Anywhere. " hammered the young boy.

His father couldn't believe his ears. If it wasn't for his high education and composure, he probably would have smashed his cane into his own son's skull. When he spoke, it was almost in a whisper.

" … Jesus Christ … _what is wrong with you ?_ "

And that was just too much.

All of a sudden, Artemis' entire composure shattered into pieces, and all the contained emotions he had kept within, for all these years, flung out with the force of a devastating storm.

" _YOU ! That's what is wrong with me ! YOU !_ " he screamed, his eyes filled with tears. " For my entire childhood, you were nothing but cold and distant ! The only thing you taught me was how to crush my enemies, to break them, to get their oh so precious gold ! And now, _just_ _look at yourself_! Acting as if you were an honest, innocent businessman and philanthropist ! Turning your back on countless deals and partnerships that would have made us whealthier ! Turning your back on our very motto ! _Aurum potestas est,_ don't you remember ? "

Artemis paused to catch his breath. His gaze was frantic, and his delicate, fragile hands were heavily shaking.

 _But it just felt so good_.

" Maybe you don't, but _I_ remember our family motto ", Artemis pursued, his voice Arctic-cold. " You've engraved it so deeply in my brain that I sometimes dream about it. While you were gone, I've only done everything I could to take care of mother and the crime empire that you abandoned behind you. Within four years, all of your former associates have learned to respect me. To _fear_ me. But you… _You're the disgrace of the Fowl family_. All our ancestors are rolling over in their graves, hearing you talking about heroism and charity. But I do not intend to stand by and let you ruin our reputation and tarnish our family name. If you are unable to assume the head of the Fowl empire, then I'll take your place and do it for you. _Again_. "

Artemis Senior faltered, completely astounded. It took him some time to pull himself back together and be able to think properly.

He was starting to realize that this wasn't just a regular father and son argument, as he had first anticipated ; that somehow, the power balance had shifted between them, and not exactly in his favor. He saw that he might have underestimated how his heir had changed, during his absence. He couldn't recognize the respectful young boy he had left at Dublin's seaport, four years ago.

The elder Fowl wasn't ready to question his parenting style yet ; but he had to admit that he should have listened to Angeline's concern about their son, these past months. She had tried to warn him that something was off… and he had dismissed her fears.

The thought of his wife triggered the rise of a dark, acrid feeling down his throat, and he found himself filled with cold determination.

Artemis was right about one thing : his father wasn't a true philanthropist. He had never possessed the natural empathy and sensibility that he required his son to fight against. On the other hand, he was a master blackmailer and a cold-blooded manipulator.

If his own flesh had decided to see him as the enemy, then so be it. He would fight ; but not with morality sermons and lectures about respect and humbleness. He would fight with his usual technique.

Emotional blackmail and psychological torture.

" _You poor_ _little_ _thing_. Daddy wasn't there to care for you… and now, you want to take Mommy away ? Wouldn't you want to kill me next, Oedipus ? "

The elder Fowl's lips twisted into a contemptuous smirk.

" You'll end up _alone_ , Artemis. _Alone_ , and cursed by anyone who had ever loved you. _That_ will be your true failure. And when you'll come back whimpering, asking for forgiveness… _no_ _one will_ _come_. Then, and then only, your true self will be revealed : a pathetic cry-baby who wanted to play grown-ups. "

Artemis Senior had never truly managed to understand his son ; but that didn't mean he didn't knew him. Most importantly, he knew about his weak spots – where exactly he had to hit, in order to be the most harmful possible. His fear of loneliness, being ridiculed, failure… He had already used similar arguments, though in a much less violent manner, on his son before. Normally, Artemis would first try to cope with the blow, as he had learned to, but eventually collapse, and apologize for his vulnerability.

But this time, he didn't.

He stared back at his father ; and there was something so… _creepy_ , uncanny about his expression, his eyes were filled with such pure madness that something happened to Artemis Fowl Senior, that he had experienced only extremely rarely before.

Fear.

" Conceal the weaknesses. " Artemis said, his voice raw and menacing.

He moved forward, his head lowering like a predator's, but his eyes still fixed into his father's.

" Don't trust anyone. "

Artemis Senior stepped back, but his son kept on walking, approaching slowly.

" If your conscience torments you, silence it. "

_Those were your words, once. How do they feel, now, you cold bastard?_

The old Artemis almost stumbled on a flaw in the old black and white ceramic tiles, and stopped, clunching onto his cane to prevent himself from falling. The young Fowl advanced further, and further, until he was only a few centimeters away from his panting, scared father.

Both Artemis stared at each other, in silence, for a second. Then, the youngest one spoke, very softly.

" Now, you see me. Now, you respect me. _Now, you fear me_. … It's a little too late, for all of that. "

Artemis Senior didn't reply. He was petrified, in sheer horror. That creature… that creature wasn't his son. And this underlying light, in his eyes… the former criminal leader wondered, did he really appear like that, to his opponents ?

But then, the creature spoke again.

" I wish you never came back from Mourmansk. "

The elder Fowl's eyes widened. Artemis started smiling victoriously, but his grin suddenly faded.

Slowly, Artemis Fowl Senior, his face haggard, was letting himself fall on the cold ground, his entire body shuddering. He dropped his cane, which bounced back on the black-and-white tiles of Fowl Manor's entrance hall, and rolled at Artemis' feet.

The young boy was paralyzed in shock, and looked down, helpless, at his father, curled up on the floor, his shaking hands gripping onto his prosthetic leg, his eyes staring with terror at something Artemis couldn't see.

For a split second, Artemis hesitated, unsure what to do. And then, a sudden noise made him jump.

His phone's alarm. The fairies. He had completely forgotten about them.

The young Fowl took a small step back, then turned around and ran all the way up to his office, logging onto the Wired with his cellphone so he could unlock the digicode.

He didn't see the Glitch, distorting the blue iris of his father's haunted eye.

**MUSIC ROOM, FOWL MANOR**

Selene closed her eyes.

She breathed, slowly, and put her fingers back on the piano keys. Gathering her innate memories, she opened her eyes back and tried to pull off the first two measures. But she tangled her right and left hand half-way, mixed up the notes and finished with a chord that probably would have fitted perfectly in an alien modern-art symphony.

The result sounded like… well, it _sounded_ , at least. That was better than her first eight attempts.

The young girl sighed, and closed her eyes again. She tried to focus on her mental projection of the music, but it was hard to keep her mind from wandering.

.

Butler had found her, hidden in the wine cellar, after about six minutes of searching. She had heard Artemis' order to have her sequestered, and she knew that there was no escaping or reasoning possible with the manservant ; so she followed him, heavy-hearted but without discussion. He took her cellphone, but he surprised her : instead of putting her in the attic, in a closet or something alike, he locked her in the music room.

He warned her that if she attempted anything against the priceless instruments' well-being, he would strangle her himself with a violin string, but overall, it was a nice gesture of him to put her in a comfortable room, where she could distract herself and see the outside world from the bay window.

For the first half hour, Selene tried desperately to find a way to follow her father's discussion with Artemis Senior – but the music room was completely soundproof, and even though she crawled on the floor, her ear glued to the razor-blade sized gap between the door and the carpeted floor, she couldn't manage to overhear anything.

For the next two hours, the girl paced the room, short of ideas, worried sick about Artemis Senior. When he had run after her, Artemis had seriously scared her ; and she started to fear that she may have just thrown her grandfather straight into something horrible. The thought kept creeping, roaming in her mind, driving her nuts.

.

For the next three hours, she panicked, punching on the door, the walls, the floor, trying desperately to make a sound that could be heard.

It was pitch-dark night outside ; even the moon was hidden behind a pack of grey clouds. It seemed that the room's lights had been permanently switched off – and somehow, even though she had never been scared of that before, Selene found herself terrified of the darkness. At one point, she tried running into the bay window, hoping it would break and she would end up in the garden ; but she only managed to knock herself out.

After she emerged from her blackout, Selene crawled to hide under one of the two concert pianos, and cried. Outside, the clouds had eventually faded away, and moonlight seemed to dissolve the thickness of the shadows in the room. Slowly, grudgingly, the young girl fell asleep.

She woke up six hours later. She stood up, by the bay window, and watched the rose-pink light of dawn and the first rays of sunrise. It had snowed a little, while she was sleeping.

Her eyes still hurt, because of the crying.

.

Four hours later, Butler brought her a lunch tray. Selene wanted to ask him about Artemis Senior ; but the look on the man's face told her that her fears had turned out to be true. She had been dying for something to eat ; but right now, her stomach felt too heavy for her to swallow anything.

Instead, after the manservant had left, she turned to face the large set of instruments. After an hesitation, the young girl went for the piano.

Even though she had never played it before, she possessed Artemis' perfect pitch and musical knowledge. At first, she stumbled on the notes, and couldn't remember which key did which sound ; but fast enough – after three hours –, she was able to perform the _Moonlight Sonata_ about correctly, although in a slower tempo.

But that was easy : the partition had been forgotten on the piano, so the young girl only had to follow it. In order to keep her mind occupied despite the captivity, she needed a real challenge. She decided to search through the general culture she had inherited from Artemis, and learn to perform a piano piece only thanks to her mental projection.

Selene closed her eyes, and emptied her mind – from her worries, her fears, her sick and twisted father. When she felt soothed enough, she listened to the echoes in her head, trying to catch at least a few beginning notes.

Almost immediately, as if it was an evidence, a melody arose. Light, but somewhat extremely nostalgic. A bit sad, even. A strange chorus between a slow pace and a flowing cascade of notes, only just slightly offbeat. Unsettling, but gorgeous. Truly beautiful. For a reason the young girl couldn't quite comprehend, the piece of music moved her to the core, and she felt her heart blooming, only by picturing the melody in her head.

The notes appeared to her, as clear as crystal ; and she tried playing.

The piece proved much more difficult than Selene had expected, but she wouldn't give up. Eventually, after about fifteen trials, she managed to complete the first two measures perfectly, with the exact moderate pace and agility in her fingers that she pictured in her mind.

As she played the notes a few more times, so her hands could memorize it, the name of the piece suddenly occurred to her.

Erik Satie. _Gnossienne n°5_.

.

It took Selene five hours to go through the _Gnossienne_ in its entirety, and to perform it at the right tempo. By then, she had entirely memorized the moves by heart. Outside, the weather was softly-clouded. According to the sun's position, it was about five or six p.m.

Selene started playing, over, and over, and over again. The more she played, the more natural and vibrant the melody felt. She couldn't manage to stop herself, repeating Satie's music like a mantra, an endless feeling of melancholy that completely melted her heart each time, and left her shivering, her heart pounding. But each time, she restarted from the beginning, and played. Over, and over, and over again.

She could sense in her very core, that there was an extremely deep connexion between her and this music, and there was only one person that could be responsible of that : Artemis. For some reason, this wasn't just his favorite piano piece. There was more to it. A strong emotional bond. An open wound. Selene could feel it.

And so she played. Over, and over, and over again. Hoping that, even through the soundproof walls of the music room, she would reach Artemis. Reach out to his heart.

At one point, her fingers were so worn out and aching, that she just let herself slip of the piano seat, and fell asleep, hiding under the large instrument. When she woke up, the next morning, Butler had brought her a huge breakfast. She engulfed everything, and sat back at the piano, her eyes filled with determination.

And she played. Over, and over, and over again.

An entire day went by like this. Selene couldn't even feel her fingers anymore, and played almost automatically, unable to stop. Her vision was blurred with tears – of pain, fear, loneliness. She had failed everything ; but most importantly, she had failed Artemis. She was locked up, all alone. Abandoned. Never to be rescued. Never to rescue him. The young girl didn't stop playing, but she cried, desperately.

She just wanted her father back.

Suddenly, the girl jumped, startled, and turned around to face the door. Her heart was pounding with hope ; but it was only Butler, with another food tray. Yet, as she started to distinguish his facial features, despite the almost complete absence of light, Selene's eyes widened in stupor.

The manservant was crying.

They stood still, staring at each other, for a moment. Then, the bodyguard put the tray on the floor, and went to Selene. He kneeled down, and hugged her.

" Please. " he whispered in her ear, his voice filled with emotion. " Don't stop playing. "

Then, he stood up, and left.

.

The night passed. Followed by another day.

Selene wasn't even sleeping or eating anymore. She just sat at the piano, and played. Over, and over, and over again.

Her eyes were completely empty, her fingers hovering automatically above the keys, but despite the fact she was on repeat mode, her playing was still filled with the same emotion, the same gorgeousness. She played through day and night, unstoppable. Her mind wasn't numbed, though. But there was only one thought echoing in her brain.

She wasn't an avatar. She wasn't a girl. She wasn't even human anymore.

She was the embodiment of Artemis' conscience.

And she wouldn't stop playing, even if she had to stay locked up in this music room for eternity. She wouldn't stop playing, even if she had to collapse and die right there, from starvation or fatigue. She wouldn't stop playing, until her father finally heard her.

So she played. Over, and over, and over again.

By the time Selene would be allowed out of the music room, it would be too late. The irreparable had already been committed. She felt it, when it happened. Her heart broke, and her entire body was engulfed into an overwhelming terror. But this wasn't the end. Artemis hadn't heard her yet.

And so, she played.

Over, and over, and over again.


	12. Database 11 : Circuit Breaker

**Database #11 : Circuit Breaker**

**POLICE PLAZA, HAVEN CITY**

Julius Root, Commander of the LEPrecon unit, had been an officer for a little bit less than six hundred years.

He had prevented psychopatic Mudmen from discovering the fairies, witnessed times of heavy political troubles and seen Haven at the brink of downfall on more occasions than he could count. Since the Artemis Fowl incidents and the eponymous criminal mastermind's mindwipe, the old elf, with this half-millennial experience, really was persuaded that he wouldn't ever be surprised or see the People seriously endangered by humans again – and was pretty satisfied with this assumption.

Yet, after merely three and a half months of peace, the Irish boy had just proved him wrong. Quite spectacularly. And that certainly wasn't to improve Root's mood.

Even worse : with the growing lack of oxygen caused by the depressurization, he couldn't even smoke one of his fungus cigars to calm himself down. But that was merely an inconvenience.

Root was much more preoccupied with the Fairy Council.

Since Artemis Fowl's unexpected intervention in the middle of the War Council session, fifteen hours ago, the seven fairy politicians had been completely secretive and withdrawn – even Raine Vinyaya. They had dismissed Root and Holly unceremoniously, and began plotting behind closed doors, not even sharing the exact nature of Artemis' sketches.

Root raised his head. Hidden under a massive tarpaulin, the young Fowl's "command" had been placed right at the center of the Police Plaza by the Koboi Laboratories technicians. An antenna, a bomb, a rocket, or maybe even an uncanny weapon of the Mudboy's own design : it was impossible to tell. The LEP Commander only held two things for certain : first, he had an extremely bad feeling about this… _thing_ ; and two…

… it was huge.

About seven feet tall. Given the fact that the average fairy height revolves around three and a half feet, that was more than just overproportioned. That was totally gigantic.

Instinctively, Root took a small step back, away from the thing and the ominous, bleak shadow it casted on the Plaza's paving stones. Maybe it was just oxygen deprivation, but it seemed as if the thing, even concealed, inspired so much fear and apprehension that everyone had just forgotten to panic.

There was a massive crowd, though ; almost the entire city's population had started gathering at the Plaza, when the news had spread that the Council was preparing something. They came looking for answers, but only to be met with the entire LEPRecon and LEPRetrieval brigades, armed and in a tight circle formation, preventing them from approaching the Council members and Artemis' thing.

Normally, there would have been rumors, claims, whispers, maybe even a riot. But everyone was just dead silent. Most of the children and older fairies had seated or even laid down, breathing loudly. The single, smallest effort was painful and made even the most trained soldiers dizzy.

He would have never believed it, if anyone had told him that he would come to have such thoughts ; but Root realized he would have preferred a riot to this heavy, gut-wrenching silence.

Holly, holding her position among her Recon and Retrieval colleagues, turned her head towards the Commander, and formulated a silent question : " _What are they saying ?_ "

Root grimaced, but he could only give her an uncertain shrug. He was standing only a few meters away from the tarpaulin, the LEP Headquarters behind him and the six Fairy Council members gathered on his right – Markos, due to his age, had been sent to Argon's clinic to be bedridden. The six fairies held Gabion's digital tablet, and they were discussing vividly ; but their voices were too low for the old elf to understand what they were talking about.

Yet, judging from their worried tone and the anxiousness on their faces, he could guess that something was wrong.

The Commander clenched his fists, and felt an usual wave of warmth on his face as his complexion started to turn red.

Whatever the Council was thinking, they were doing more harm than good by withholding information like this. Maintaining their actual intentions foggy only gave Artemis more leeway to instillate doubt and discord among the People. Root remembered the Mudboy well, and he could easily guess that this was exactly his goal.

 _That's enough. They'll talk, whether they like it or not. I'm_ _the D'Arviting Commander, for Frond's sake ! I should be aware of their plans ! If not, how am I supposed to lead my troops correctly ?_

The old elf went straight to the Council members, ignoring the dizziness whiplashing in his brain at the sudden move. Hamon turned to him with a disapprobating frown, and whispered furiously, his eyes jumping around to make sure the citizens hadn't noticed anything.

" Commander, this is a private discussion and… "

" Private discussion my arse ", Root cut in the same tone, though much less ceremoniously. " In case you haven't noticed, these are _my_ troops protecting you right now from those innocent citizens. It would be _much appreciated_ if you stopped maintaining us in the shadows and actually explained what the hell is going on. "

The Council members exchanged a look, and Vinyaya eventually spoke.

" We have settled everything down, exactly the way Fowl wanted. We're waiting for him to contact us back, as he said he would… but he still hasn't. That's ten minutes late, now. "

Root swallowed, his anger vanishing instantly. Artemis Fowl wasn't the kind of person to be late – especially not at something this important. Especially not when there were _lives_ at stake.

Had the young boy really changed that much ? _What had they done to him ?_

" … Could you at least tell me what this giant thing is about ? ", the Commander eventually asked. " Is it… a weapon ? "

The six fairies shook their head negatively, but they didn't explain more either. Root frowned. At the mention of Artemis' command, they had all looked down, even Kall and Vinyaya. There was _something_ in their contracted expression that puzzled the Commander.

Was it… shame ?

Before he could pursue his investigation further, Gabion's tablet beeped. Immediately, the Council members gathered back around him, panting in apprehension and from the physical effort.

As they read, their faces became livid.

Root approached, and managed to read the young Fowl's e-mail upside down.

– _You must remove the tarpaulin. Otherwise, I won't cancel the depressurization_.

Kall seemed on the verge of exploding.

" _That little scum_. I'm going to murder him with my bare hands. How can we allow a _thirteen-year-old human child_ to play with us like that ?! "

" Maybe because he has the power to threaten an entire civilization, and we don't ", Vinyaya replied coldly. " There isn't much of a choice here. We must do what he tells us, period. "

" But… "

" _I know submission is a new concept to you, Kall_ ", the black-haired elf pursued louder, " but for once, you'll just _shut your damn mouth_ before you get all of us killed. _Understood ?_ "

The former LEP Commander's jaw fell in shock, and Vinyaya left, rolling her eyes, before he got a chance to reply. She headed for the Koboi Labs technicians, to give them instructions.

Cahartez, on the other hand, had started sweating.

" Root ", he said in a blank voice, " you might warn your soldiers to reinforce their positions. I doubt our citizens will be glad at what they are going to see. "

The Commander felt his heart drop, but obeyed. This was becoming more and more unsettling, and he hated that feeling.

As he gave his orders to the higher ranked officers, and let them spread the word, the Koboi technicians gathered around the thing, each one of them grabbing a portion of tarpaulin. At the sudden agitation, the citizens awoke from their lethargy, and pressed against the LEP officers barrier, straightening their necks or mounting on their tiptoes, trying to see what was happening.

And then, without a warning, the Koboi technicians pulled the tarpaulin with all their weight, and the massive cloth fell heavily, as if in slow-motion, revealing the thing underneath.

.

Root had imagined a lot of things, as to what Artemis might ask from the Fairy Council. But he was _miles_ away from the truth.

It wasn't a weapon. Nor an antenna.

It was a sculpture.

An _Artemis Fowl_ sculpture. Looking down at them, with the same smug, insolent expression that seemed to be engraved in the Mudboy's genetic code.

There weren't many flourishes in the pose, texture or realistic style ; it was merely Artemis, sculpted in 3D-printed bronze, in his signature Armani suit and Gucci moccassins, staring at the fairies below him with a victorious smile. But the sculpture was much taller than its model – the scaling ratio was close to 2:1 ; and despite its simplicity, the piece conveyed a feeling of extreme discomfort amongst the fairies.

After a few seconds, Root managed to put the right words on the uncanny aura emitted by the sculpture's bronze eyes.

Power. Megalomania. _Lust for domination_.

With a flinch in the heart, the Commander realized that it was exactly what an Opal Koboi statue would feel like ; and despite the dire situation, he couldn't help but wonder ; when the poor kid had fell so low ?

For the first few moments, after the sculpture was revealed, there was no reaction from the crowd, other than sheer astonishment.

The LEP officers themselves wavered from their defense formation, their eyes wide open in shock. As for the Fairy Council, they did their best at saving face, but they just couldn't hide the embarrassment in their eyes.

The silence was so thick, you could have heard a goblin think.

It took everyone a moment, to realize they were able to breathe normally. The depressurization had stopped.

Root didn't manage to see where the first insult came from. But it resonated, from the massive stalacmites pinned with blank plasma screens – usually displaying commercials and advertisements –, right up to the solar tubes, glowing with orange light, at the upper limit of the natural cavity hosting the fairy capital.

And then, the heavy, baffled silence was replaced by a thunder of furious screams and a torrent of cursing. That was to be expected, of course. But as he himself started yelling – towards his officers, so they would start using their buzzbatons instead of looking alternatively at the sculpture and the infuriated citizens with a dumb face –, Root realized something.

Haven City's inhabitants weren't paying any attention to the sculpture anymore. They weren't mocking its grandiloquence or the Mudboy's outrage.

Their fury was directed at the Fairy Council.

And just _then_ , Root understood how Artemis' plan was clever.

The sculpture wasn't, as his first impression had led him to believe, a childish and ridiculous whim. If Artemis had wanted a statue at his image to satisfy his inflated ego, he would have printed it himself – it wasn't as if the Wired didn't gave him that kind of power. But Artemis didn't care one bit about making a sculpture.

He wanted the _Fairy Council_ to make it for him. And that made a huge difference.

For now, the political leaders of Haven were forced to take all the credit for the Mudboy sculpture on Police Plaza. And, as they had desperately tried to keep it secret, avoid collective panic and arise no doubts, they had only worsened their case, and appeared even more like manipulative traitors to the eyes of the fairy citizens.

 _They_ were the ones who were humiliated, and ridiculed.

 _This is freaking brilliant_ , Root muttered to himself. _The crowd's trust in their leaders is already shattered. The only thing Artemis has to do now is a final kick in the nest, and that's it. He owns us._

Suddenly, as if the Commander's thoughts had been heard by the fairies' arch-nemesis, the general fury turned into a deathly silence.

For a voice had started to speak.

.

A cold voice, raw and relentless as winter. A voice that spoke Gnommish with an accent that no fairy recognized as their own ; a voice that couldn't have belonged to any being below ground.

A _human_ voice.

It arose from the entire set of the city's public loudspeakers, with a massive amount of Glitches – more than ever recorded before – violently distorting the very shape of reality itself around them, in a cloud of erratic pixels ; blurring simultaneously the sight and hearing of the entire people of Haven, and pulsing right through their cores, as if they were standing next to a subwoofer.

It was Artemis Fowl's voice, plural and disembodied, that resonated across the city, covering the terrified screams that started to arise.

" Fairies ", he said. " Elves, pixies, gnomes, sprites, dwarves, goblins, centaurs. I am Artemis Fowl the Second, and I am responsible of the siege you are currently enduring. I have held you by the throat for several hours – quite literally – ; and now, thanks to your Counselors' generous support, I am throning right here, before you ! "

The young Fowl chuckled, making all the fairies take an instinctive step back. The nightmarish sound of his dry laugh reverberated up from the paving stones of Police Plaza, to the furthest suburbs of Haven ; like ripples on a peaceful lake's surface, disturbed by the impact of a dense, heavy object.

" I have defeated all your defences, one by one : the centaur Foaly, your lockdown procedure, your LEPs and their corrupt Fairy Council. " Artemis pursued, his tone more and more serious. " Henceforth… _You are entirely at my mercy_. I could kill you all right now, standing on your feet. I could have Haven City _obliterated_ , by simply snapping my fingers. … _but I have better plans for you_. I'd rather leave you an… _opportunity_ to make up for what the People has done to me, when the power balance was inclined in your favor. "

Root and the six Council members exchanged a look, but they wouldn't allow themselves to hope for any actual kind gesture from the young Fowl. As for the crowd, they remained silent, waiting with apprehension.

Eventually, Artemis Fowl spoke again, and each one of his words was sipping with pure hatred.

" Since he is responsible for betraying me, treating me as an enemy and erasing my memories, I demand _Commander Julius Root_ to answer for these actions, in the entire People's name. Since he has declared war to me, he, _and he alone_ , will have the choice to _implore_ me for mercy, for all of you. "

The old elf gasped under the shock, breathless. His officers themselves couldn't believe their pointy ears.

Out of every fairy in Haven, Artemis Fowl was asking _Julius Root_ to crawl at his feet and pray for forgiveness ? _Was the boy completely out of his mind ?!_

But Artemis wasn't finished. And as he continued, the elfin Commander forgot all about his rising anger, and felt a cold shiver running down his spine.

" However… from _what_ exactly, will Julius Root have to beg me from sparing you ? "

All the stalagmites' plasma screens switched on simultaneously in a magma of heavy Glitching. On some of them, a computer loading bar, already at 4 % ; on the others, the map of a building, which dangerously looked like a prison, containing an even more dangerous number of red cells.

" Here is your choice, Commander. " Artemis said, his voice echoing triumphantly. " The loading bar indicates the uploading percentage of a file, on the human Internet. _A copy of the Book_ , to be more specific. In about seven minutes, it will go public for everyone above ground… unless you ask me for mercy, of course. Yet, in the same time, _I have just deactived the central security system of Deeps Maximum Security Prison_. Most notably, the front gate. From now on, and _every minute_ , I will free ten random prisoners from their cells, and release them on Atlantis. "

Just as the young Fowl finished his sentence, ten of the red cells on the map turned grey. Root started sweating, horrified.

Even though he couldn't see it, the old Commander could _feel_ Artemis Fowl's lips stretching into his infamous vampire grin.

" How many of these prisoners have you incarcerated yourself, in your opinion ? One hundred ? _Two_ hundreds ? Anyhow. I doubt that with your reputation, your _brother_ , the fallen captain _Turnball Root_ , can survive very long to the other inmates… don't you think, Commander? The choice is up to you : the Book, or the work of an entire lifetime ? The People… or your family ? "

Artemis allowed the two options of this impossible choice to sink into every fairy present, before he concluded, his cold voice vibrating with sarcasm and sadistic anticipation :

" I suggest you don't waste time, Commander. It is running against you… "

The loading bar indicated 10 %.

His face exsanguine, Root suddenly noticed that all the Council members and citizens of Haven were staring at him. Despite his usually undisturbable steadiness, the Commander felt his legs go weak, and gathered all of his mental strength not to flinch. There were already people yelling, across the LEP officers bareer – asking him to preserve their existence's secret.

" _Choose the Book ! Choose the Book !_ "

Root clenched his fists to hide his shaking hands, and started thinking, trying desperately to calm himself down and figure out what was Artemis' plan. But suddenly, Cahartez stepped out of the sculpture's shadow, and yelled, facing the nearest loudspeaker.

" Young man, _this is ridiculous_ ! "

Much to his surprise, the gnome's outraged and falsely assured voice was relayed in the city's loudspeakers, and everyone noticed that the largest plasma screen now broadcasted, live, the small group of Haven's fairy leaders, on Police Plaza.

To his credit, Cahartez did an outstanding effort at keeping his composure straight when seeing his worried face and balding head on screen. He even managed to spot the surveillance camera that transmitted the video, and granted it with a fierce look.

" It is _my_ duty to make this choice, and to the Fairy Council to confirm it or not ! ", the old gnome yelled. " Commander Root is merely an executive, and it is not his position to take a decision that could impact our city's entire future ! "

For a split second, Holly, still trying to maintain her position despite the crowd's growing anxiety, caught herself feeling proud of Cahartez's attempt at defying their human torturer.

But that emotion was to be very ephemeral.

" I am still in charge here ", Cahartez said pompously, " and as the Council Chairman, I hereby demand you to… "

" _You have nothing to demand_ _of_ _me, Cahartez_. "

The young Fowl's tone was so threatening that the poor gnome almost fainted. Hamon did, however. But no one really noticed.

" I have already offered you a chance to behave like a reasonable governer. " Artemis continued contemptuously. " And you have preferred to flee your responsabilities and cover your mistake, instead of taking charge of the situation. "

The Chairman narrowed his eyes for a second ; then, his face turned livid.

" … No ! _Don't !_ " he screamed, horrified.

But through the loudspeakers, the slammering of a keyboard could already be heard. Then, on all the plasma screens, a duplicate of an e-mail, dated from yesterday, appeared. The attached file opened itself, and Root, Holly and the five other Council members' eyes widened in stupor.

The attached file was a tab. Retracing Foaly's navigating history on the Wired, with dates, duration and purposes of each visit as supporting evidence.

According to the document, Foaly had logged on the Wired more than six thousands one hundred and thirty-five times. Since he had sworn on his Book not to, eighty years ago.

The numbers and descriptions displayed on the document were gibberish to most of the fairies ; but Artemis wouldn't let such precious informations go unexplained. As he spoke, there was an hint of his old lecturing tone in his voice, making both Holly and Root's hearts tighten.

" This is the evidence that Foaly, the paranoid centaur who is the creator of Haven's entire protection and security systems, has abused of his position for almost a century, to monitor illegally anyone who had the nerve to arise his suspicion. Humans like me of course, but mostly… _fairies like you_. "

Now they had a better understanding of the document, all the fairies could indeed see that Artemis wasn't lying : Foaly had used the Wired to spy the People. The truth is, he mostly stalked Opal Koboi, but that subtlety was lost to most of them.

Cahartez, on the other hand, was petrified, and it seemed pretty clear to everyone that he was shameful and gut-wrenched the way only a true guilty person is.

Of course, the young Fowl took advantage of that.

" Chairman Cahartez has been given this list about fifteen hours ago, if I recall correctly ; but it seems as if he didn't see it fit to share it with anyone. He didn't have Foaly condemned immediately either. Instead, he _protected_ him, lying to the very face of his fellow counselors. "

Artemis' voice was grave, but somehow, it didn't lack majesty. Actually, in his emphatic tone and perfect diction, there was the fabric and spirit of a true political leader.

" _Fairies !_ You can now see the duplicity of your governors ! When I offer them a choice, immediately they try to make it without you ; when I ask them for justice among your ranks, their secrets and personal interests come first ! _Former_ Chairman Cahartez is a traitor to your cause. _I refuse to treat with him_. "

Suddenly, the loading bar jumped at 23 %. At the same time, ten other cells, on Atlantis prison's map, turned grey. But one of them Glitched.

" Uh-oh… " Artemis said, amused. " Wasn't that your dear brother's cell, Commander ? "

Normally, Root would have found himself at the verge of a heart attack. But oddly, he wasn't.

Even if he had wanted to answer this excruciating Mudboy with insults that would have made a swear toad cringe, he was purely unable to speak.

Across the Police Plaza, the screaming intensified among the crowd, the voices becoming more and more desperate.

Then more and more furious.

" D'Arvit ! Choose the Book ! "

" Do something ! "

" Turnball Root is a scumbag ! Forget him ! The Book ! "

" Choose the Book ! "

" _Do something !_ "

" My mother lives in Atlantis ! _Please_! "

" The Book ! The Book ! "

" Mudmen will kill us ! I don't want to die ! "

" Screw Atlantis ! _Choose the Book_ ! "

" _SAY SOMETHING !_ "

A shoe was thrown. It landed a good three feet away from Root, but it was the spark that lit the growing fear within the fairies, and made it catch fire.

In less than ten seconds, the Police Plaza had turned into a battlefield : Neutrino beams flashing around, civilian and LEP sprites fighting in mid-air, children crying and buzzbatons crushing various bones, as the population tried to break through the LEP officers' barrier and get to their political leaders.

The chaos was so absolute that nobody noticed that said Council members had vanished, along with Julius Root and a certain elfin Captain.

.

The entrance door of the LEP Headquarters closed itself with a reassuring, heavy sound, and Vinyaya immediately fell on the ground, dropping Hamon's still unconscious body that she had carried all the way from the sculpture. There was no one else there ; except the receptionist droid, switched off, who stared down at them with its empty eyes.

But before anyone could say anything, Holly turned to Root, and stared deeply into his eyes.

" Artemis will never reveal the People's existence ", she said firmly. " Even back when he had his memories, he had countless opportunities to throw us into the hands of Mudmen, and he never did. _He even helped us_ , when he accidentally leaked our surveillance system to Jon Spiro. "

" In case you haven't noticed, Captain Short, this isn't exactly the same Artemis Fowl as from a few months ago ", Lope cut, his tone dripping with poison. " He has kinda switched from abducting people for ransom to death threats and war declarations. "

Holly made a huge effort not to punch the Council member's face.

" Just think about it for two seconds ! " … _you moron_ , she added in her head. " Why would he give up on this advantage he has upon us ? It's far more interesting for him to _exploit_ us, rather than delivering us to the humans. Uploading the Book online just makes no sense, in Artemis' logic. "

Root shook his head, his gaze lost.

" Maybe it makes no sense, but if there is something I know about Artemis Fowl, it's that he _never_ bluffs. If he threatens to upload the Book online, then he _is_ uploading the Book online. "

The Commander's declaration brought back a tense silence among the small group of fairies. Even through the LEP Headquarters' reinforced door, they could hear the uprising on the Plaza, a few feet away.

All gazes turned towards Cahartez. Gabion clenched his fists, and _spat_ at the Chairman's boots.

" You D'Arviting idiot ", he snorted. " What the hell were you thinking ? Now, the citizens will never trust us anymore ! "

" Insulting me won't do any good ! " Cahartez replied, suddenly furious. " I just thought the information was irrelevant, as this wasn't Foaly's trial but a _War Council session_ where we had to decide what to do in order to protect our city ! "

" And since when do you decide when the _Wired_ is irrelevant or not ?! " Lope intervened, completely shocked. " This isn't just about being over-paranoid or smuggling carrots into the LEP Headquarters ! "

" Oh, and what difference does it make ? We are screwed anyway ! "

" _You_ are screwed ! " retorted Gabion. " I think everyone here agrees that you are destituted of your Chairman position ! "

Cahartez threw his conical hat at his rival's face.

" _With great pleasure !_ You want to take it, maybe ? Didn't you just say that the citizens will never trust _us_ anymore ?! Or maybe you think that they'll still like you because you are a ridiculous hippie with grandeur delusions ? "

Root watched Gabion, Cahartez and Lope continue their fightning, utterly appalled.

Artemis had succeeded. He had turned every Fairy Council member against each other.

But he suddenly realized that Vinyaya and, surprinsingly, Kall, weren't arguing with the others. They had gathered around him, along with Holly.

" You don't have much time to make your decision, Julius ", Kall said, his tone serious but devoid of any hostility. " The three of us are strategists, and Captain Short here has the best understanding of this Fowl kid's motivations. Let's figure this out. "

Root started feeling a little better, and nodded.

" What are your opinions ? " he asked to the three elves before him.

" Choose Atlantis ", said Holly.

" Hold on to your honour, and don't bend your knee to this little brat, whatever it takes ", said Kall.

" I have no D'Arviting idea ", said Vinyaya.

They all looked at each other, frowning. Root sighed, not even able to be angry anymore.

" I've already told you my opinion about the Book option ", Holly hammered. " Whether he usually bluffs or not, it is just _not_ Artemis' best interest to put this threat into effect. "

" I'm concerned with the fact he actually leaves us the possibility to choose ", Vinyaya replied, " as he can totally inflicts both sanctions at the same time, if he wants to. "

" You didn't understand, Raine ", Kall explained. " He doesn't want to punish us. He wants to _humiliate_ us. The threats were only here to provoke a mass riot. Now, we are forced to calm everyone down, either by sacrificing Atlantis and its criminals… or the entire People. Except these choices are nothing but a bluff. "

Root shook his head again.

" I've told you already. Artemis doesn't do bluffs. He never makes baseless claims – mostly because he makes _sure_ that nothing he says can be misinterpreted. "

And then, suddenly, the Commander understood.

" Artemis doesn't want to humiliate _us_ ", he whispered. " He wants to humiliate _me_. And me only. "

The three elves' eyes widened as the realization hit them.

" You didn't spell the choice correctly, Kall. " Root added somberly. " I have two options : sacrificing my brother and plunging Atlantis into chaos… or save them, which is the option that Artemis has presented as my personal interest. And thus, I decredibilize myself in front of the entire People. _This_ is why he gave the choice to me and not anyone else. He wants me to lick the ground at his feet, and drag my own name in the mud. "

Root's eyes were filled with determination.

" I have to choose Atlantis. I agree with Holly : I don't believe Artemis is willing to give up on the opportunity to torture us, by revealing the People's existence, just for the sake of humiliating me. On the other hand, he wants me to suffer. This is why the Atlantis option seems like the less rational and the most selfish ; and this is also why I must take it. This is the only real choice. "

The old elf turned around, and went to stand by the tainted window. The loading bar indicated 79 %, and there had been two more criminal releases in Atlantis. Root sighed, and realized he had never been calmer in his entire life.

Holly, even if she was relieved and proud that her Commander acknowledged her judgment, couldn't help but bit her lower lip.

" Commander… Are you sure this is really a good idea ? We have already lost Foaly. Without you… "

Root raised his hand, and Holly immediately silenced.

" Haven is more important than me or my pride, Captain ", he replied calmly. " If the city survives, then maybe we'll have a chance. Artemis just can't keep winning and being two steps ahead. One moment or another, he'll grow tired, he'll make a mistake. And we'll need valuable officers like you to stand up to him. "

Holly's heart warmed up, and she was so happy she almost didn't hear the Commander's last sentence.

" That's why you must stay in here. "

Before she even processed what he had said, Julius Root had opened the Headquarters' entrance door, and closed it behind him.

Holly felt blood withdrewing from her face, and she rushed to the door, quickly followed by Kall and Vinyaya. But the Commander had melted the lock with his blaster, and the elfin officer only managed to burn her hand on the doorknob. It reminded her of Fowl Manor, from a long time ago. Except that this time, she was on the wrong side of the door.

Ultimately, Gabion, Lope and Cahartez had realized that something was wrong, and noticed Root's absence. Lope started slapping Hamon's face to wake him up – to no avail –, and everyone else gathered to the entrance hall's tainted windows, their hearts pounding with apprehension.

They watched as Root advanced to stand in the middle of the Police Plaza, and faced the Artemis Fowl sculpture. The uprising had settled down at his appearance, and everyone stared at him, waiting for his choice.

Without a flinch, as dignified as he could be in the situation of begging for the mercy of a thirteen-year-old boy, the Commander kneeled down, his back to the LEP Headquarters. Then, he bowed, his head facing the ground. Holly's heart ached so much, that she had to close her eyes, and look away. Seeing Root in this position was just too painful.

_You will pay for this, Artemis. I'll make you pay. Personally._

With the thick door and the distance, they couldn't hear what the elfin Commander said ; but according to the scandalized expressions on the citizens' faces, he had held onto his decision, and chosen to save Atlantis.

Holly looked at the plasma screens, and the ones displaying Deeps Maximum Security Prison's map turned black. She sighed with relief ; with a little bit of luck, the LEPmarine forces of Atlantis would be able to contain the massive escape, and there wouldn't be too much damage done.

However, she noticed something that was much less reassuring.

The loading bar kept on charging. It was at 98 %.

Outside, the uprising had turned into a scene of mass hysteria. Holly's colleagues, even if they fought the best they could, were outnumbered by Haven's citizens, and the noose tightened around the sculpture, and Root. The Commander had gotten up to his feet, and pulled his tri-barreled blaster, when the loading bar reached 100 %.

First, Holly thought that nothing had happened. But then, she heard something. A buzzing.

A low, menacing buzzing. It took Holly a few seconds to recognize it.

It was the DNA cannons activating themselves.

The elfin Captain barely had the time to start screaming in horror ; then, everybody outside of the LEP Headquarters collapsed, struck by invisible beams. The silence that followed was so atrocious, so unuterrable that it still haunted Holly's nightmares, several months later.

There was only her, and the five remaining members of the Fairy Council left.

" _Now_ , we can start talking. "

.

Everyone jumped, and turned towards the reception desk, behind them. All the lights had switched back on, blurring their vision for a few seconds. Then, they noticed the receptionist droid, who crossed its fingers under its chin, a complacent smile plastered on its biosynthetic face.

After the initial shock, Gabion clenched his fists, and started yelling, tears rolling down his cheeks.

" _You murderer !_ We have done everything you want ! _Why did you do that ?!_ "

The droid shrugged, Glitching slightly in the process. Its voice was fake and neutral, but the underlying despise in the tone was unmistakable.

" I have another demand for you. "

This statement was granted with a baffled silence.

" … You do realize that this can't go on forever, Fowl ? " Vinyaya intervened. " You've just released about fourty extremely dangerous criminals on Atlantis, manipulated Haven, leaked the Book online, humiliated Root and the Fairy Council, and… knocked everyone out, if you didn't straightforwardly kill them. Isn't that enough already ? "

The droid's smile widened.

" _I'm_ the one who decides when I'm satisfied enough. For now, you're doing fine, but you should keep on following my orders, little fairies ; otherwise, I might grow bored. Or worse : _irritated_. I was in a rather good mood so far – do you really want to try me ? "

Vinyaya's jaw clenched, but she remained silent.

" Excellent ", the droid stated, almost happily. " Now. I've read carefully the official LEP files and reports concerning me ; and it seems that there is one last thing that you owe me. When I first abducted Captain Short here, two years ago, you paid a ransom. A ton of gold, twenty-four carats. But eventually, you kept half of it for yourself. "

The Council members exchanged the look.

" Before you ask, yes, I'm aware that a small part of it has been stolen ", the droid continued. " But that doesn't matter. I had played by your rules, and you've _snatched_ the gold I had rightfully deserved. Let me be straightforward. _I want it back_. "

The droid paused, but the six politician fairies were too stunned to reply.

" I've activated a shuttle, already set for departure in Chute E1 ", the droid then resumed victoriously. " I require Captain Holly Short to pilot it, and deliver the gold to Tara. Let me give you a fair warning though : any inappropriate attempt at playing a dirty trick on me, and I'll have no hesitation at _turning off_ the shuttle's engine in mid-course. I doubt that a free fall straight to the earth's core is exactly the way you'd want to die, Captain Short ? "

Holly didn't have to reply. The question was purely rhetorical, and her nauseous expression indicated how she felt about picturing her shuttle crushing on hot lava while she was powerlessly trapped inside.

" According to my estimations ", the droid pursued coldly, " if you gather the gold immediately and leave straight afterward, you should arrive in Tara by five a.m. Don't be late, or else… I'll be irritated. "

Before the fairies could begin to formulate a retort, the droid's purple eyes lit off, and its arms fell back to their initial position, deprived of electricity. Simultaneously, something exploded in the entrance door's automatical locking system, and it flung open with a soft purr.

Immediately, Vinyaya turned to Holly, and grabbed her shoulders, staring deeply into her eyes.

" Holly. The battle is about completely lost, already ; but you might be the only fairy with a real shot at stopping Artemis Fowl. Whatever the cost is… you must take it. _Do something_. "

Holly nodded, her lips sealed. Then, she backed out of Vinyaya's grip, and ventured outside the LEP Headquarters, without a look back.

Her first move was to rush by Commander Root's side ; and when she kneeled down beside him, she let out a relieved sight.

He was still breathing. He was alive. Unconscious, but alive. Just as everyone else.

The elfin Captain stood up, a newfound fierceness in her eyes. As she headed towards Haven's shuttle port, she brought her hand to her heart.

Holding firmly, in her closed fist, Artemis' minidisk.

**TARA, IRELAND,** **THREE** **HOURS LATER**

The Fowl's Bentley was parked on the hill of Tara, a few feet away from the fairy shuttle port's hidden entrance. The car's headlights were casting two rays of white light before them, making it seem as if the snow, covering everything around, was glimmering.

Butler didn't pay any attention to the beautiful scenery, though ; his large hands deeply buried in his coat's pockets, he paced around the Bentley, lost in his thoughts.

Artemis wasn't here with him : the young boy had stayed at the Manor to rest, while his bodyguard assured the transaction in his name. The instructions were pretty simple : take the gold, _and_ the fairy.

Butler sighed. He had followed the entire siege, once again ; and he realized that this new traitrous move from his charge didn't even shock him anymore. It only bothered him to know that he might have to knock the fairy out, if she resisted.

The more his principle's plot advanced, the more Butler found himself actually rooting for the People.

Whatever they had done to him, they didn't deserve Artemis' wrath. Neither did Selene, or Artemis Senior.

The thought of his charge's father made the manservant shiver. He had found him in the entrance hall, after he had locked Selene in the music room. The man was lying on the floor, freezing and almost catatonic ; Artemis nowhere to be seen. After he had taken the elder Fowl up to his bedroom, Butler had tried interrogating the young one about what happened. But Artemis never replied.

Despite the fact that he was six feet tall, the bodyguard suddenly felt very small and helpless.

Selene was out, and Artemis had brushed his parents off the picture as soon as they had started to try and stop him. There was still Juliet who might help, but Butler wouldn't ever dare dragging anyone else on this. He didn't want to risk his charge doing any more damage ; especially to his only loved ones.

Butler closed his steel-gray eyes, his heart sinking. He was all alone. Truly, completely alone.

" … Butler ? "

The manservant opened his eyes, and turned around. Before him, a fairy, child-sized but with a grown woman's features, removed her helmet, and gave him a weak smile.

" You don't recognize me ", she said, " but it's a long time no see. "

Butler nodded.

" I know. Artemis explained. "

He didn't want to say that he had witnessed all the suffering the young Fowl had put the fairies through. He felt too guilty that he had never intervened.

But Holly spoke again, withdrawing him from his dark thoughts.

" I've brought the gold, it's in the shuttle. You can check, but I'm unarmed. I've left my weapons in Haven. "

" Why ? " the bodyguard asked, puzzled for a second ; then it clicked. " … Oh. Artemis could turn them against you. "

But to his surprise, Holly shook her head negatively.

" Well, he could, but that's not the reason. The truth is, I knew he would send you. And… I also know that you don't approve what he's doing. I trust you. "

Butler didn't respond, taken aback. That didn't exactly match Artemis' depiction of "cruel, relentless creatures who had manipulated them".

The elf raised her hand, and the manservant immediately pulled his Sig Sauer out. But Holly only opened her fist, revealing a small, golden medallion in her palm.

… a coin ?

_Not a coin. A disk._

Butler lowered his gun. Somehow, the little jewelry tickled his brain. It reminded him of something.

" I guess Artemis wants you to abduct me with the gold ", the LEP Captain said, softly. " I'll comply to whatever you tell me to. But first, please… watch this. I beg you. "

Almost instinctively, the manservant obeyed. He took the minidisk, and went to the Bentley. On the passenger seat, there was a laptop. He switched it on, and inserted the minidisk in the device. A new tab opened, with two folders only – "Artemis" and "Butler". The bodyguard clicked on his folder, and a list of several text and video files appeared ; including one entitled " _Watch me first_ ".

.

Butler watched the video.

For the first few seconds, he didn't even paid attention to what the boy was saying. Seeing his principal, pale as always but truly _healthy_ looking, his ocean blue eyes not tainted in red and his cheeks not sunken, made Butler's heart burn, and his eyes watered.

He just missed his charge so much.

And then, the Artemis from the video leaned forward.

– _Your name,_ _old_ _friend_ , he said, _is Domovoï_.

The bodyguard's eyes widened. He couldn't believe his own ears.

There was no way Artemis would know his first name. Never, _ever_ , would Butler tell him. Unless…

… Unless.

And suddenly, as if they had always been there in the back of his brain, waiting to be restored, Butler's memories stormed back in his mind ; boiling with unraveled emotions, and clear as crystal.

.

Holly, not wanting to interfere in the process of the recovery, stood outside the car, respectfully, waiting for the manservant to watch his video.

She couldn't see him through the tainted windows of the Bentley, and she found herself hoping that the minidisk actually contained Butler's memories, as she thought it did. If not, she would look really stupid.

But then, the Bentley's rear door opened, and as she saw the large Mudman's face covered in tears, she knew she had guessed right.

Butler stepped out of the car, and bent down on his knees, to draw Holly in a tight embrace.

" Long time no see… " he murmured, his voice filled with emotions.

Holly hugged him back, warmly.

" I missed you, big man. "

The manservant let her go, and as he looked straight in her eyes, the elfin Captain realized she had never seen him so guilt-ridden.

" I'm sorry, Holly. I'm so sorry ", he said. " For everything Artemis has done to you, and to the People. I should have stopped him, but… the time I realized how serious the threat was, it was too late. The situation is completely out of control. "

Overwhelmed, he had to stop for a second.

" He thinks you betrayed him. He believes you are _monsters_. "

Holly looked down. Somehow, Artemis' reasoning didn't surprise her.

" … Maybe he's a bit right ", she replied, quietly. " None of this would have happened, if we hadn't mindwiped him. If we hadn't distrusted him, just as he was starting to become a better person. … We _broke_ him. We have destroyed his entire moral and mental evolution of the past two years, and now, he just wants us to pay for it. Maybe the People is only getting what it deserves. "

Butler didn't respond. There wasn't much more to say.

The elf and the bodyguard exchanged a look. The next unavoidable question hovered above them, unspoken. Holly finally said it out loud.

" … Do you think there is anything left we can do ? "

Butler shrugged, utterly despondent.

" I don't know. Artemis has become completely obsessed with his revenge plan, if not irretrievably insane. I barely manage to reach out to him, and he's slipping further away each day. As long as he has the Wired, he's unreachable ; and he never gave you any actual opportunity of thwarting his plans. Each one of his moves against the People was checkmate after checkmate. And if we try to put ourselves in his way… well, Selene and his parents have tried. … they failed. "

Holly swallowed. Portrayed like this, the situation really felt more than bleak. But the elf couldn't accept that there was nothing to be done.

She pointed toward the Bentley, where the minidisk was.

" There's still _one_ thing we can do, and that he couldn't have anticipated ", she said. " Give him his memories back. "

Butler hesitated.

" After everything he has just done to all of you ? He'll die out of guilt. "

Holly rolled her eyes, annoyed at the bodyguard's resistance.

" Come on, Butler. Does Artemis even _know_ what guilt means ? "

The manservant's gaze hardened.

" _Yes_ , Holly, _he knows_. And you have _no idea_ how much. "

The elf took a step back.

" Okay, okay. I'm sorry. Maybe you're right. But do you see any other option ? "

Butler thinked hard, desperately, but nothing else came to his mind.

" I realize how having his memories back might hurt Artemis ", Holly said carefully, " but if we don't at least _try_ , he'll hurt many, many more people. "

The bodyguard looked down, gripping with an atrocious mental dilemma.

" I don't know if I can let you _willfully_ hurt him. I'm supposed to protect him. "

Actually, he had no idea what he was supposed to do anymore. Things had gone so horribly wrong, that he didn't even know if he should protect Artemis from the others who tried to stop him, or _help_ them organize the young Fowl's demise.

" Butler ", Holly insisted, " _it would be for his own good_. You're afraid he might feel guilty, I understand that, but how do you think he'd feel if he _really_ hurts someone ? He _needs_ us. If he can't let the Wired go, when we _have_ to help him. We have no other choice. "

The fairy's reasoning was flawless. Butler, defeated, let out a half-worried, half-relieved sigh, and crawled through the shuttle port's entrance door, to reach the LEP shuttle and get the gold to the Bentley. He was lost and confused in a way he had never been before in his life ; but for the first time in days, he was starting to see a glimpse of hope at the end of the tunnel.

Holly's plan, if you could only call that a plan, was far from perfect. But at least, they had something.

Maybe there was still a chance to save Artemis.

**FOWL MANOR, IRELAND, TWO HOURS LATER**

When he had logged himself out of the Wired, right after presenting the fairies with his final request, Artemis had immediately sent Butler to Tara. There was about two to three hours of driving to get to the site ; and he didn't want the bodyguard to be late.

Truthfully, if he was being honest, Artemis knew that Captain Short probably wouldn't dare attempting an escape – and even if she did, he would find her in no time, with the Wired's powers. But with the final steps of his revenge scheme, the young Fowl had taken things to such a tremendous scale, that if _anything_ didn't go as planned…

… he just refused to think about it.

Actually, Artemis had planned to put his few hours of free time before Captain Short's arrival to try to get some proper sleep. But when he went to the bathroom to clean the nosebleeding, as usual, he looked into the mirror.

And there, he found himself unable to move, unable to speak.

For about _four_ hours, Artemis watched his blood streaming, then growing thick and dry on his face and chin. Despite the sickening taste of iron on his lips, he just couldn't clean himself ; he was paralyzed, as if completely mesmerized by the blunt contrast of deep red blood on his sickly pale skin. But _pale_ felt like a poor choice of word.

Artemis stared into his reflection, in the mirror, and for the first time, he realized how _ghastly_ he was.

The young Fowl was truly frightened to see he could barely recognize his own face ; but he just stood there. His mind was sloppy, crippled with migraine and benumbed by the painkillers he had to take, to be able to stand on his feet without collapsing from the pain induced by the Wired side effects. He stood there, the sting in his heart growing wider and wider. Echoing in his skull ruthlessly, were the same cold, cruel words.

His _father's_ last words.

" _You'll end up alone, Artemis. Alone, and cursed by anyone who had ever loved you._ "

" _Alone, Artemis… alone._ "

" _Alone_. "

.

Yet, when Butler arrived, holding a scared and handcuffed Captain Short by her shoulder, Artemis was waiting for them, his face clean and his gaze unreadable. He was standing on the lower steps of the large marble stairs, smirking unsufferably, more powerful and evil-looking than ever.

" Captain Holly Short ", Artemis said, his smile widening. " At last. Welcome back. "

" Hello, Mudboy. " Holly replied.

The elf tried her best to sound respectful, but she just couldn't hide the pain in her voice, from seeing Artemis in such a weak state. She could break him in half only with a flick of the finger.

The young Fowl didn't pay attention to her, though. He turned to Butler, and there was a new maddening, ravenous glow in his reddened eyes.

" The gold ? "

" In the Bentley's trunk ", the manservant replied with a nod.

Artemis' face twisted in a victorious and smug expression.

" _Perfect_. I assume Captain Short here doesn't have any weapon ? "

" No, she doesn't. "

" Alright. You can go bring Selene a breakfast, then. She must be hungry. "

The bodyguard hesitated, as if he was unsure whether or not he should leave his charge alone with the fairy hostage. But Artemis pulled out his cellphone, and the message was pretty clear : I have the Wired, I'm safe, so get out of my way.

Butler left quickly, leaving Holly and Artemis to stand face to face.

.

There was a strange, awkward silence at first, as they stared at each other ; both sensing that there was something familiar in the other's features, but in the same time feeling that the person in front of them had turned into a complete stranger – even though it was for different reasons.

" … You've changed, Mudboy. " Holly eventually stated.

Artemis narrowed his eyes, and Holly couldn't help but be struck at how _destroyed_ they were. It was worse than the few extreme cases of _mesmer_ abuse she had witnessed in her LEP career. The sclera's blood vessels were exploded, giving the white part of his eyes a sick red shade ; and his pupils were extremely dilated, as if the young Fowl was under the effect of a powerful drug.

The elf's heart tightened. But Artemis' harsh voice brought her back to reality.

" Yes, I've probably changed since you've last seen me, Captain Short. I imagine you did, too ; but how would I know ? I don't remember you. "

Holly looked truly, sincerely guilty.

" I'm sorry. I'm _really_ sorry. I should have known it was a mistake to mindwipe you. "

Artemis laughed, coldly.

" It's a bit late to be sorry, Captain Short. Only a bit. "

" _What do you want from me, then ?_ " she asked, too exhausted to be truly angered by the boy's cruelty. " I'm not a politician, a technological genius or an high-ranked LEP officer. I'm only the first fairy that you've ever held captive, a couple years ago. There's nothing I can do, except apologizing for my People's mistakes. "

Artemis smiled.

" That's not true. You can do something else. You can be here. "

Holly frowned.

" Be here ? … But _why_ would you want me here ? "

Artemis didn't reply. He just stared back at her, his features softening slightly. Holly sighed, hardly containing her nervousness.

" _Okay_. I'm here now, Mudboy. So, what's next ? "

The young Fowl's smile only widened. It wasn't his regular vampiric smile, yet it felt even more uncomfortable. As if Artemis tried to be gentle, but his face's muscles were absolutely untrained to make such moves.

" You're so impatient, Captain Short. But there's no need to be in such a hurry. "

Holly shifted position on her feet, extremely queasy.

" … No offense, Artemis, but you _really_ should stop smiling, it's becoming quite unhealthy. "

The boy raised an eyebrow, surprised. A flash of doubt briefly fogged his gaze, as his brain started running at full speed.

Captain Short was calling him by his first name.

That was odd. They had first met because he had abducted her ; and in the official LEP reports, there was no mention of a case of Stockholm syndrom on her behalf. Artemis couldn't think of any reason why the fairy would call him by his first name. That made no sense.

But on the other hand, the reports stated that she had been a part of the Arctic mission ; that she helped rescuing his father. Suddenly, Artemis felt his heart faltering. Had he and Holly Short been closer than what he had imagined ?

The glimpse of hesitation on the young Fowl's face only lasted less than a second, and he regained his composure almost immediately. But somehow, the elf had noticed that her remark had troubled him.

" Artemis ? Are you alright ? " she asked, sounding truly worried.

Artemis clenched his fists, a wave of panic already rising in his stomach. Bringing Holly to the Manor was the riskiest move in his entire plan, he was aware of that from the beginning. But he didn't think that using the Wired would undermine him and his capabilities so much, and he struggled with the fear of losing control of the situation.

_Don't be weak. She has manipulated you before, she isn't an ally. Resume the plan. Don't trust her. Don't trust anyone._

" … The Wired offers so many possibilities ", he finally said, back to his cold, unreadable tone. " I've already explored quite a few, these past days ; but I want the _grand finale_ to be truly gorgeous. I've been pondering over the best apotheosis for some time, and I though you might… help me make my decision. How does that sound ? "

The elf's eyes had widened during his speech, and she no longer seemed worried about him. She seemed horrified.

" … You… you mean this is not over ?! " she stuttered.

" Why, of course not ", Artemis replied, falsely shocked. " Don't tell me you thought so ; that would be highly disappointing. "

" B-but… you've already got everything you wanted ! " Holly exclaimed. " Apologies, humiliation, even your gold ! What _else_ could you do to us ? "

" You lack imagination, Captain Short. "

Holly closed her eyes, breathing deeply. Any feeling of remorse or concern she had for Artemis were completely gone. She just wanted to kick this excruciating kid's butt until he cried and winced for mercy, but she had promised Butler she wouldn't be violent.

" You've leaked the Book online, Artemis. It won't take long until your fellow Mudmen try to dig into the Earth and find us. Even if you've come up with another wicked idea to torture us, you won't be the only human on the case anymore. "

The young Fowl dismissed her point with a negligent waving of the hand.

" Don't play idiots with me, Captain. You know perfectly that I have no intention of sharing _my_ precious fairies with my congeners. "

Holly frowned, confused.

" … So you bluffed ? You didn't leak the Book ? "

Artemis grinned.

" Of course I did. I never bluff. But the copy of the Book I leaked what written in traditional ancient Gnommish ; and it was online for two minutes only. It's already long gone by now, and if anyone _did_ stumble upon it, they wouldn't have understood a single word. "

The LEP Captain was dumbfounded for a second, but the relief of finding out she had been right, that the People's existence hadn't been revealed, was so intense that she chuckled.

" This is D'Arviting brilliant ", she even said, truly sincere. " You're such a smartass. "

" The expression is a bit familiar, but I'll accept the compliment. " Artemis granted with a crooked smile.

The fairy's joyous mood didn't last long, though. She pondered, gathering her words.

" I meant it, Artemis, when I told you that the People made a mistake mindwiping you. … Don't get me wrong, I really hate you right now ; but in a way, I understand your grudge. I do. But... "

Artemis smiled, as if encouraging her to continue.

" ... _You've avenged yourself, now_. " Holly pursued, desperation in her voice. " It's over. We paid our debt to you. _Even literally_. What do you want, now ? "

The young Fowl raised his hands, in a perfect showman's move.

" You're right, Captain Short. I have subdued the fairies, just the way you had subdued me. It could be over. But you're forgetting something quite important. _The Wired_. "

He smiled, revealing his teeth.

" I am the most powerful human being on Earth. The experiments I've led upon you were very… _entertaining_ ; but now I've fulfilled my revenge, I'm left unsatisfied. I can't just give up on the Wired. I can't just quit exploiting the People. _I want more, Captain Short_. World domination is literally within hand's reach. I've almost completely dismantled the Fairy Council – I can proclaim myself Only and True Leader of the underground world. I can harness the fairie's technological advance and become the most powerful high tech and arms dealer for the next decades to come. "

As Artemis' presentation unfolded, his tone vibrant and his eyes glimmering in anticipation, Holly's complexion became more and more chalky, her legs shaking.

This was worse than the C Cube. Worse than anything Artemis had ever done before. Usually, he only searched personal profits – most commonly, wealth, or in the latest case, vendetta. But this was another level.

 _World domination_. This was dementia. Pure megalomania. The Wired had contamined him completely, destroying his sanity and his moral compass even more surely than the mindwipe.

" … You can't do that, Artemis. "

The sound of her pitiful own voice almost brought Holly to tears. The young Fowl laughed, truly hysterically.

" _I can do everything I want_. Don't you get it, Captain ? _I'm a living God_. "

Holly's eyes widened.

_He's insane. He's completely insane._

" What about your parents ? " she tried, in a last desperate attempt. " They don't want to see you like this. "

Artemis took a few steps back, as if Holly had punched him in the chest. But it only seemed to turn his excitement into hatred.

" _They won't mind_ ", he growled, more similar to a wounded panther than to a human being. " I can _assure_ you. "

The implications of this statement finished to terrify Holly. She turned on her heels, and rushed for the door, losing complete control of herself.

" _HELP !_ " she yelled. " _SOMEONE HELP ME !_ "

But before she could reach the door, Artemis had pulled his cellphone from his pocket, and logged into the Wired with a disturbing moan of pleasure.

Suddenly, Holly's LEP suit kinetic energy redirection system buzzed, and with a soft Glitch, the suit became _rigid_ – solid and hard as stone.

With a half-choked cry, Holly fell to the ground, driven by her momentum, stuck in her running position like a statue. She rolled on the tiled floor like a puppet, and collided brutally on the wooden door. Her fragile fairy bones crackled under the shock, but she didn't have enough magic to heal – she had spend every single drop back in Prague, when Artemis had knocked her down. It felt like an eternity ago.

But Holly regained her senses, and saw Artemis, his face distorted in a delighted expression, moving forward, his cellphone still in his hand, his eyes locked into the screen.

" _Artemis, what are you doing ?_ " she screamed, in panic.

The young Fowl didn't answer, approaching closer and closer.

" _Artemis ! I've got something for you ! I've got something to give you !_ " Holly cried, more terrified than she had ever been before.

Artemis stopped, and chuckled, atrociously dryly. Enlighted by his cellphone, he looked like a complete maniac.

" But I want nothing from you, Captain Short. Nothing more than you to acknowledge my divine power. _Nothing more than your cries of despair_ _as I force you to bow before me_. "

He started typing on the phone's touchpad, and Holly felt her suit, entirely doubled with wires and electric systems, _twisting her_ _body_ , forcing her arms and legs to move in unnatural directions. Her back tweaked into a position her natural flexibility didn't allow her to, and her horrified screams turned into a shrieking of sheer, blunt pain.

" _ARTEMIS ! Stop !_ "

Suddenly, the inexorable pressure on Holly's body wavered, and eased, allowing her to collapse on the floor like a ragdoll, whimping, tears jerking from her eyes.

Butler was here.

Alerted by the screamings, he had ran all the way down from the music room, and stopped at the end of the stairs, paralyzed in dread at the scene he was witnessing. He stood still, staring at Artemis and Holly, his gaze going from one to the other like a distraught bird.

The fairy was too blinded by the physical suffering to see him. Artemis, on the other hand, stared back.

There was _nothing_ human in his eyes anymore.

Within the blink of an eye, Butler had pulled his Sig Sauer out. His charge turned around to face him, brandishing his cellphone as if it was a handgun.

But the manservant put his weapon on the ground, and opened his arms at the young Fowl, in a true warm, tender gesture. Artemis blinked, surprised.

" Artemis ", Butler said extremely softly. " Calm down. I'm here. "

He moved forward, very slowly, his arms still opened. Artemis took a step back, but he was blinking furiously, his breathing irregular.

" Artemis ", the manservant repeated, with the same softness in his voice. " Listen to my voice. It's okay. "

The young Fowl dropped his arms, slowly. There was a truly conflicted expression on his face ; as if he was fighting to get his conciousness back.

Butler smiled, weakly but encouragingly. He was only a few feet away from Artemis. The young boy had stopped backing away, and he wavered on his feet, wheezing.

" Artemis. I'm here. I'm with you. Listen to me. I'm here. "

The manservant, with extreme precaution, put his large hands on the young Fowl's shoulders. Artemis twitched, as if he had been slightly electrocuted. His deep blue eyes, with their reddened sclera, locked into Butler's.

" Artemis. I'm here. "

Artemis inhaled deeply. It had been such a long time, since Butler had spoken to him with such a tender voice.

He remembered some nights, in his early childhood, when he had been awoken in tears by nightmares – and the bodyguard was here to comfort him. He remembered one day, after his father had gone missing and his mother was irretrievably insane ; he had had the first and only anxiety attack in his entire life. And Butler had been there, reassuring him with the same caring voice, the same gentleness.

Artemis was shivering. Slowly, he allowed Butler to attract him into a warm, careful hug, and buried his face into the manservant's shirt, his hands shaking. He spoke, with a fragile, broken voice.

" … Butler. "

And then, the bodyguard, tears of guilt streaming down his face, punched him in the stomach.

He didn't go at full force – otherwise, in the boy's current physical state, he would have killed him instantly. Butler calculated his blow with the precision of a professionnal.

Artemis merely had the time to widen his eyes in shock, before he passed out, falling into unconsciousness in his bodyguard's arms.


	13. Database 12 : Source Code

**Database #12 : Source Code**

**UNKNOWN LOCATION**

Artemis remained in a state of semi-consciousness for what seemed like an eternity.

He had completely lost track of time, unable to tell when he had awoken – or if he was awake at all.

He laid there, his gaze moving erratically behind his closed eyelids, lost in a hazy, pitch dark sleepiness, every data about his surroundings – the sounds, the temperature, the texture of the surface he laid on – feeling blurred and distant, reaching his clouded mind at an atrocious snail's pace.

Slowly, the numbness in his body started to fade away. Immediately, an abominable migraine whiplashed through his skull, and he found himself so nauseous that he fell back into unconsciouness almost immediately. When he grudgingly, painfully came back to his senses, his stomach was hurting severely. It felt heavy, and pounding. His heart threatened to burst out of his chest, and breathing was difficult.

But Artemis, his eyes still closed in case someone was waiting for him to wake up, tried to ignore the pain, and scanned his surroundings.

He was laid down on a thin, cold mattress. The air felt dusty. There was a light bulb on the ceiling, switched on. It seemed that he was in a rather small room. He was shivering, but he couldn't tell if it was because of the cold air or him still being in a state of shock.

He tried listening, but he felt as if he was surrounded by troubled water. He heard some brumous echoes, but it could be anything from voices to a ventilation system.

Artemis gave up, and tried to remember _how_ exactly he had ended up in this situation, when the plan was only going so well and smooth.

He fought with his mind, so it would finally run at his usual speed and efficiency ; but the reality and his nightmares kept on intertwining viciously, and he couldn't tell the truth apart from the delusions. He remembered his nose bleeding and bleeding, his mother plunging mirror shards into her heart, Butler's breathing against his cheek, red-eyed creatures devouring him, the fairy crying for help.

 _The fairy_.

Where was she ? What happened to her ? Artemis' heart raced, but he could retrace the events only to the point when he had logged into the Wired, as Captain Short had tried to escape. Then, it was almost complete blackout – there were images flashing, but they were so atrocious that Artemis decided it was certainly another delusion. Certainly not something real.

Certainly not something _he_ had done to her.

Yet, he remembered something else. Butler's voice. Warm, tender. Reassuring. And then…

Artemis felt his heart disappear, entirely swallowed in sheer pain. It was not a physical suffering ; it was much, much worse. He remembered Butler's voice, Butler's words ; and what the manservant had done afterwards.

The realization hit him. Brutal, and unforgiving.

_He betrayed me. Butler betrayed me._

Artemis had imagined about thirty-seven scenarios where something might go wrong with his plan. He had imagined that Holly would try to attack him physically ; that the Fairy Council would try to ensnare the gold ransom with mortal chemical products ; that they would smuggle a biobomb in the shuttle ; that they would refuse to obey. None of that had happened – according to his predictions.

But out of any outcomes, Artemis had _never_ imagined that Butler might turn against him.

That was just unnatural. Impossible.

Butler was his bodyguard. His loyal manservant. His truthful companion.

… His friend.

And just then, Artemis realized how childish and weak he had been.

His eyes started to burn, with tears of shame and humiliation. His father's warning stormed back in his mind, louder, deadlier than ever.

_Don't trust anyone._

_Anyone_.

Artemis forgot everything about the Wired, about Captain Short, about his revenge. All he could think about was his failure. He wanted to curl up into a ball, and cry until he had entirely purged himself of this awful, overwhelming feeling, and disappeared of the surface of the Earth.

He had been so close. So close to the most absolute success ever achieved by a living being on the planet. And he had failed, miserably. His father had been right, all along. Artemis trusted Butler, entirely, without any question. And Butler had betrayed him.

Suddenly, Artemis realized that his perception of his surroundings was getting more precise. The distorted echoes from before became clearer – voices.

It took him some time to recognize who they belonged to ; and when he did, Artemis' heart sank only deeper.

" I've tried contacting the LEP, but I can't get a line. I guess the Wired is still maintaining the lockdown active. "

" Probably. I hoped that with Artemis out, it would unlock the procedures he had orchestrated, somehow ; but I guess it only happens in the movies. "

" He's still asleep ? For how long has he been unconscious ? "

" About a day now. He's been having nightmares all afternoon. I've never seen him like this. "

" Butler… you did the right thing. There was nothing else to do. Are you sure you don't want me to try and heal him ? I've just accomplished the Ritual. "

" That's not a good idea. Who knows what actual damage the Wired has done. Maybe your magic would only worsen it. Plus… I feel uncomfortable doing anything while he's not conscious. We'll ask him if he wants you to heal him. When he wakes up. "

Artemis felt nauseous. He was supposed to be the God of the Wired. But what kind of deity gets backstabbed so foolishly, so easily ?

 _Butler and Captain Short. He_ knows _her. They've plotted my demise together._

First, Selene, and then Butler. His father had been right. All along.

 _I can't trust anyone. I'm weak. I'm pathetic. I failed_.

But through the aching pain, something electric ran through Artemis' veins. His determination. His urge to fight back, and never give up.

He really couldn't see how he was still determined to do anything, nor _what_ actually triggered his willpower.

But the fact was that nothing was lost yet.

He was held captive somewhere, but so were the fairies below ground. Foaly was behind bars, and deprived of any rights in the Wired. Artemis was the only one able to use the _edit mode_ , and he would use that leverage without any hesitation. And even if Butler had betrayed him, Artemis still knew him well enough to know that the bodyguard was feeling extremely remorseful for incapacitating his own charge.

Manipulating and torturing him would be piece of cake.

Artemis felt no way near sad anymore. He didn't really _felt_ at all. It seemed as if his heart had completely disappeared – replaced by a black hole of determined hatred.

The only thing Artemis needed to bring the situation back under his control was a mean to log into the Wired. Butler and Captain Short probably wouldn't let him – at least, not until they discovered his backup plan.

Nothing was lost yet. There was still something to be done.

 _I'll punish them, for getting in my way_.

With an enormous effort, Artemis managed to open his eyes. At first, he was completely blinded, and his destroyed eyes watered. But he grew accustomed to the light, his eyelids fluttering, and scanned the room.

It was small, entirely white. The bed was old and rusty ; and the air was definitely filled with dust. Wherever they were, the place had been unused for a couple years at the very least. Artemis didn't recognize any of the hidden interrogation rooms from the Manor's basement ; it was possible that Butler and Captain Short had moved him somewhere else – a fairy fort, or someplace safe that the manservant had obtained with his contacts.

The two traitors were here – they stood by the door, whispering, probably trying not to wake him up. Butler had his arms crossed, and Artemis noticed that he didn't carry his Swiss electronic watch.

As for Captain Short, she had gotten ridden of her LEP suit, and she wore a t-shirt and jeans – Artemis recognized Juliet's old clothes.

On the upper corner of the opposite wall, torn wires – a security camera had been unplugged. Artemis didn't even check : he was certain that his phone, electronic watch and the old I-Pod he had stolen from Juliet's room had been removed.

That was rather interesting : the manservant and the elf proved smarter than what Artemis had first hoped.

He was in an entirely Wired-proof zone, with no technological device whatsoever within his reach.

Being deprived of his supernatural powers made him feel uneasy at first ; but it didn't last very long. Even though this time seemed very far away, Artemis hadn't always had the Wired with him ; and he had always figured a way out of seemingly impossible situations. His brains wasn't something his enemies would be able to take away from him.

They believed he was defenseless ; that woud be their last mistake.

With extreme caution, Artemis leaned on his forearms, and slowly shifted into a seated position. The bed creaked, and Butler and Captain Short immediately turned their head to him.

Artemis had plastered an expression of superiority and confidence on his face, but moving was painful and it was difficult to hide it. Instinctively, Butler rushed by his side to help him ; but Artemis violently backed up, his gaze murderous.

The manservant froze, not even trying to hide the pained expression on his face ; but he lowered his arms, and stepped back.

" Forgive me, Artemis ", he said, his grey eyes locked into his charge's. " I wish I had intervened sooner, so it didn't have to happen like this. … I'm so sorry… there was nothing else to do. "

Artemis confined his own emotions away, and stared back with only despise on his face.

" Oh, poor you. I guess you want a reward for your noble sacrifice ? Punching an unarmed and _trusting_ thirteen-year-old child in the stomach, what a glorious move. Madame Ko would certainly be proud. Especially since said thirteen-year-old is your _principal_. "

The manservant coped with the blow as best as he could ; but Artemis was as precise with his words than Butler was with his fists. The bodyguard looked down, his shoulders weighted by guilt. He knew he had had every reason to do what he had done ; but he wouldn't be able to look at himself in a mirror ever again.

Captain Short, however, was outraged by the young Fowl's retort.

" You have quite some _nerve_ , Artemis, calling yourself " _unarmed_ " ! " she exclaimed menacingly. " _You almost killed me_. "

Artemis absolutely didn't flinch. His voice was even more threatening than Holly's.

" _Don't call me Artemis_ , you _elf_. I'm not your friend. And you certainly _aren't_ a friend of mine. "

The LEP officer clenched her fists, as if she was going to punch his face off his shoulders. Her temper was even easier to play with than Commander Root's.

But somehow, she calmed down, and brushed her hands on her jeans, breathing deeply.

" Alright, Mudboy. I'm not your friend, if that makes you happy. But I _was_ , once. Not that long ago. "

Before Artemis could interrupt, she raised a hand, pursuing her plee.

" I _know_ you don't remember. I know that. But… there might be a mean to fix this. "

The young Fowl couldn't help but frown. Holly buried her hand in the oversized jeans, and retrieved a medallion. A pierced golden coin.

Ever so briefly, something crossed Artemis' mind. A spark.

A spark of decency.

But it was long gone when Holly resumed talking.

" Does this medallion trigger anything in your head ? "

Artemis laid his back against the bed's headboard, and raised his chin defiantly.

" No, elf. It doesn't. But given its size and radius, I assume that this coin is actually a minidisk. Probably encrypted with my memories. Am I guessing correct ? "

Holly and Butler exchanged a look.

" I've shown the disk's content to Butler, before we arrived to the Manor ", the elfin Captain said. " This is how he remembered everything. And it's also precisely _why_ he made the decision to stop you. "

She hesitated.

" Artem… _Mudboy_. I understand why you've felt the urge to take your revenge on the People ; but there's no need anymore. Everything can end now ; and that would be the best for everyone. Here's my offer : you get your memories back, and in exchange, you cancel Haven's lockdown procedure. It will all be fine, I promise. Is that a deal ? "

Artemis smiled, but there was a nasty look in his eyes.

" No. "

Holly's eyes widened. Apparently, that wasn't the answer she expected.

" _What ?!_ But… "

Artemis coughed ostensibly.

" I'm not a moron, Captain Short. I'll be honest, I highly doubt your word ; but let's assume you're not lying. I may have been a friend to you and the People, once ; but lately, I've humiliated all of you in a way you had never been before. If I cancel the lockdown, I doubt that your fellow fairy folks with be very forgiving. I don't want to end up dead, or imprisoned. "

Holly sighed, exasperated. Unfortunately, that was a rather good point.

It was already a struggle for her to try and repeat to herself that there were still some parts of Artemis that could be saved ; the Fairy Council wouldn't even attempt to feel sorry for him. They would bomb the Manor until there was nothing left of it and Artemis Fowl, and never talk about him again.

But she refused to let that happen.

" I assure you I'm not trying to make a poisoned deal ", she said.

 _Unlike you_ , she mentally added, her throat acrid.

" Listen to me, Mudboy. _I want to help you_. Your memories are the very reason you started to attack us. I have them, right there. "

Artemis leaned forward.

" _You_ listen to me, Captain Short. _I don't want my memories back_. I don't need them anymore. I know exactly how twisted and manipulative you fairies all are. You may have found a way to get to my feelings, once, but you've said that yourself before. _I've changed_. I won't let you weaken me with those so-called memories. They are probably falsificated, anyway. "

Holly looked at him with desolated, desperate eyes. But Artemis continued, pressing ruthlessly on every word.

" I. _Won't_. Cooperate. For one, very simple reason. _I don't trust you_. "

He turned his head to Butler. His reddened eyes were narrowed, dripping with poison.

" _Any_ of you. "

The manservant closed his eyes. It looked as if his gigantic, muscular body was about to collapse.

Holly gripped the bed's rusty frame, her eyes pleading.

" Artem… _Please_. I'm not a liar. These are your memories, your _real_ memories. Not some fake, paranoid assumptions you're holding for truth. Don't make me _force_ you to watch this disk. "

Artemis shrugged.

" Try and force me all you want, Captain. I won't believe in anything that's on this disk, even if you put me under your fairy _mesmer_. But let's give it a shot : why don't you bring me my laptop, so I can watch your little video ? "

Holly threw the medallion on the mattress. She was about to burst in rage, when Butler put one of his hands on her shoulder. His fist was about the same size as her head.

" That's useless, Holly. Artemis is too stubborn. You won't convince him unless he wants to. "

" _What else can we do, for Frond's sake ?!_ " the LEP officer yelled, furious. " He _has_ to get his memories back ! This is our last chance ! "

Butler gently took the medallion laying on the mattress, at Artemis' feet. He didn't raise his eyes to his principal.

" Let's give him some time to think ", he said. " _Alone_. "

Artemis' heart squeezed, but nothing pierced through his cold, fierce facade.

The manservant put the medallion in his pocket, and turned around. Butler and the elf left, without any other word, sealing the door shut behind them.

Leaving Artemis behind.

.

At one point, he tried to stand up, even though he knew it was pointless to explore his cell. Save from the bed, the room was completely empty – Butler and Captain Short had removed any opportunity for him to do anything. As long as he didn't have a digital device, he couldn't escape.

But after two hours, Artemis was growing tired of waiting, and felt the urge to move. To do something.

Before he collapsed straight back onto the mattress, feeling as if his brain had been cut in half by a burning scalpel, Artemis noticed a spot, under one of the bed's feet. The cement had been somehow hammered down ; and there was soil underneath.

He laid on the bed, staring at the white ceiling, for a few minutes. At least, he knew where he was now ; he should have guessed earlier, but his mental abilities were still a bit weakened. The soil and his knowledge of the Fowl Siege file helped him connect the dots.

He was locked in Captain Holly Short's former cell. How poetic.

When he found himself able to move again without risking to throw up, the young boy curled up on the mattress, facing the opposite wall. Butler and Short probably believed that detaining him here might trigger some memories, or tickle his morality.

That was extremely sweet ; but it was clear that they were overestimating Artemis' conscience.

Since they took for granted that he still had one.

.

Artemis lost track of time, once again.

He knew he should use these spare hours to clear his mind, try to meditate or finally get some sleep. There was absolutely no need to be worried about anything : Butler wouldn't leave him here to starve, and sooner or later both him and the fairy would find out about his backup plan.

But right now, Artemis just couldn't rest.

There was _something_ missing. The back of his brain itched, and it grew more and more severe as time passed. It had started as a mere annoyance, but it now spread in his entire brain, straight into his eyes.

Artemis' heart was pounding. He was scared.

There was something missing.

 _The Wired. I need the Wired_.

Artemis was shivering heavily. He kept his eyelids closed as tightly as he could, but it felt as if his retinas were burning.

… _The Wired…_

The itching propagated through his entire body, creeping ruthlessly under his skin. He scratched his neck, his cheeks, his back, his arms. He scratched them until the skin grew red and warm ; until it bled. It soothed the pain, but it felt merely better. The itching reached his lungs ; and then his heart.

Artemis rolled, and rolled around on the bed, sweating, his eyes revulsed ; leaving a damp trace of perspiration, and blood from his scratching wounds, on the mattress.

Cold. He was so cold.

… _I need… the Wired…_

Artemis gasped. He swallowed, but his saliva was thick and his throat dry. He tried to picture the gorgeous, overwhelming feeling of logging into the Wired ; but it only worsened its aching absence.

He barely heard the door open, but he felt the presence near him. There was a warm, delicious smell – food. Then, he heard a noise – a tray, on the mattress.

Then, a voice.

" Artemis ? Can you hear me ? "

The cold, hateful side of Artemis didn't want to reply. But the young boy, crippled with fever, shuddering and scared, squinted his eyes open.

Butler, crouched next to the bed, smiled weakly.

On the tray, there was a plate of chestnut and truffles _risotto_ , Artemis' favourite meal ; and a ramekin of _crème brûlée_.

For a brief second, the young Fowl felt the black hole in his heart warming up, and he urged to smile back ; but then, he remembered Butler's betrayal.

Artemis closed back his eyes, and rolled around, facing the wall.

He heard Butler sighing ; and he couldn't remember hearing him sounding so utterly _sad_ ever before.

" I'd like Holly to heal you ", the manservant said softly. " I'm worried it might be dangerous, but you're bleeding. You're sick. … She really wants to help you, Artemis. And so do I. "

Artemis, his back to the bodyguard, curled up even more tighter.

" I don't want your help. "

" Artemis… "

" _Go away_. _Now_. "

Butler remained silent, for so long that Artemis started to wonder if the manservant's irruption had been an hallucination.

But eventually, Butler stood up, and left, closing the door gently behind him. When Artemis turned around, he noticed that the bodyguard had left a small bottle of painkillers on the tray, with only two pills in it – Butler had never approved Artemis' new habit of gobbling medecine as if it was Halloween candy. That would never be enough to soothe him, but that was still better than nothing.

The young Fowl took the pills, and swallowed them with a few mouthfuls of _risotto_. It was delicious, as always, but his throat was so strained that he almost threw everything up. He abandoned himself to the dizziness, and fell into a disturbed half-sleep, staring at the _crème brûlée_.

.

Artemis dreamt that he was eating the dessert ; to realize it tasted like iron, and discover that the ramekin was filled with fairy blood.

He woke up coughing and panting, feeling extremely sick.

Holly and Butler were there, standing at the bottom end of the bed and looking down at him with concern. Both of them seemed truly worried ; but Holly also looked angry.

" This is pure nonsense ", she said. " Let me heal you. I can't bear to see you like this. "

Artemis clenched his fists, weakly but firmly.

" Do I have to remind you, Captain Short, that you are in _my_ house and therefore you must obey me ? "

Holly's jaw clenched. Artemis smiled, and his head fell back on the mattress.

" I don't want you to give me orders, elf. You are not to tell me what to do. "

" _Fine !_ " she yelled furiously. " I would highly and respectfully _recommand_ you to stop being a D'Arviting Mudmoron, and allow me to heal you before you stupidly die out of stubbornness ! "

Artemis didn't reply immediately. He laid on the mattress, wheezing, his gaze unfocused, turned to the bright white ceiling.

" Does insulting me while I am at my weakest state somehow makes you more self-confident and temper your own insecurities ? "

" I don't freaking know, but it does make me feel better ", the elfin Captain groaned back.

Artemis chuckled. Holly, unable to take this any longer, leaned over the bed's footboard, and put her hand on the young Fowl's left ankle. He shivered at the sudden contact, but he didn't back himself away. There was a point at which even Artemis' Wired-inflated pride couldn't match rationality – he wouldn't ever be a true God if he happened to die because he was physically too weak.

 _That would be an interesting next step_ , he thought. _Dematerializing myself, to truly become one with the Wired. No more body, no more weaknesses. Pure immaterial deity._

He sighed. That would be perfect. Holly's voice drew him back to reality.

" _Heal_. "

The blue sparks of magic flew down her arm, and penetrated Artemis' skin. It healed the scratching injuries, indeed ; the weight on his stomach lifted off, and he felt less sickly, more alert.

But his heart remained wounded. Probably because some things had to be too broken to be fixed, even by magic.

And when the little blue sparks tried to penetrate his temples, it seemed as if they were _pushed_ away. Artemis' latent migraine worsened suddenly, and he grimaced, trying to conceal a shriek of pain.

Holly tightened her grip on Artemis' ankle, and the sparks attempted again to get to the young boy's brain, but it was just plain impossible. Somehow, it refused. No matter how hard Holly tried.

The young Fowl's fingers gripped into the sheets, and he whimpered, unable to contain the suffering inside. Eventually, he managed to unseal his lips, and speak.

" _STOP THIS ! STOP THIS NOW !_ "

He coughed, as blue sparks had tried to pass through his open mouth.

Reluctantly, Holly let him go, and stepped back. The young Fowl's muscles untensed as the last drop of magic vanished from his skin, and he backed away from the LEP Captain, as fast as he could, breathing loudly.

" … This is _not_ normal ", Holly said, all anger having vanished from her tone, replaced by true fear. " The Wired isn't a _poison_ , a disease or a conscious entity. It's a D'Arviting _network_. It shouldn't do that. It should affect people's mind like that… beyond repair. "

Butler buried his head in his hands, with a deep sigh.

" This has to end. This has to end before I shoot myself. I can't continue like this. "

Artemis, his head leaning against the cement wall, stared at the prematurely worn-out bodyguard.

" You want all this to end ? " he asked, his voice steadied by the magical healing. " That's simple. _Give me back the Wired_. "

" So you can kill us all ? " Holly cut, throwing her hands in the air. " No, thank you very much, Mudgenius. "

She punched the wall, making the bed shatter and spilling some _risotto_ in the process.

" You've done enough harm to everyone already, including yourself ", the elfin officer continued. " I admire your determination, Artem… _Mudboy_ ; but the game is _over_ now. You're our prisoner, you've lost. If the Fairy Council lays its hands upon you, you'll be treated as the worst and most dangerous interspecies criminal the People has ever faced. "

Holly paused, closing her eyes.

" If they go through the trouble of putting you into trial, I can tell you that using the DNA cannons and depressurizing Haven will be considered as attempted genocide. If you're not publicly executed, then you'll be sent to live the rest of your human life in the most secure area of Deeps Maximum Security Prison. And maybe you'll be surprised, but _I don't want that for you_. "

She reopened her eyes. Artemis just stared back, his expression smug as usual but his gaze unreadable.

" I don't want that for you. " Holly repeated, more softly. " You've always been a criminal mastermind and a dangerous person ; but once, you've saved my career. You've helped the People. You became a friend. Kind of, at least. Maybe you don't ; but _I_ remember it. "

Artemis gave her a crooked smile. Holly put her hands on the bed's footboard, and exhaled deeply.

" I can hardly make promises on behalf of the People ", she then said. " But I'm willing to forgive you, for what you've done. I'm willing to _try_ , at least. And if you cooperate, you have my word, on the Book of the People, that I'll do everything I can to plead your case and save you from Atlantis. But I need you to stop being so obstinated. I need you to help me saving you. "

She waited. Artemis didn't seem extremely concerned at what she was saying, but he wasn't interrupting either. She decided to interpret it as a good sign.

" Here's the deal. You cancel the lockdown procedure and restore Haven City's security systems as they were before you messed them up. And then, we will make sure that you _never_ come near the Wired ever again. "

Artemis had regained his unsufferable smirk, and Holly couldn't help but feel that this was the power balance slowly shifting back into his advantage. The young Fowl crossed his arms on his lap, and stared back at the elf very calmly.

" And what are the options, if I still refuse to cooperate ? " he asked, just as if he was quiring for more sugar in his tea.

Butler and Holly exchanged a worried look. This was bad. Really bad.

" … If you don't cooperate ", Holly answered, " then I'll have to mesmerize you, and probably cause even more brain damage than the Wired already has. And once you're done with the lockdown procedure, I'll have to incapacitate you. Maybe definitely. "

The young Fowl's grin widened.

" Well, that's a possibility, of course. But… there's another option. "

The elf and the bodyguard frowned, confused. Butler was the first of the two to understand.

His face decomposed itself, and he grew pale. He grabbed Holly's shoulder.

" _A backup plan_ , Holly. He has a backup plan. "

The LEP Captain's eyes widened. Artemis clapped his hands, as if he was applauding a theatrical performance.

" _Finally !_ Wonderful ! I was starting to think you'll never figure it out. "

Butler pinched the tip of his nose with a dejected sigh.

" There's always a way out in case your plans go wrong. Always. I guess I should have known better. "

" Probably. " Artemis retorted cruelly. " But it seems like there are a _lot_ of things that you should have known better about, lately. "

Butler tried not to react, but Artemis knew him like the back of his pocket, and he saw the manservant's chin trembling, even if extremely slightly. The young Fowl silenced the guilt rising in his gut, and joined his hands under his chin, his elbows resting on his crossed legs.

" I knew that the best – if not the only – option for my enemies to try and stop me was to keep me away from the Wired ", he explained with a smug smile. " So I've made sure that doing so was impossible. Well, to be precise, it's impossible only if you don't want a massive interspecies genocide. "

Holly and Butler stepped back, as if he had physically hit them. Artemis' lips straightened into his coldest vampiric smile.

" I've programmed a countdown. Every three days, I have to reset it with the Wired. If, for any reason, I can't access the countdown on time, then all the biobombs in Haven's military reserve will explode. As for the surface, a dormant virus will plague all the hospitals worldwide, cutting off the power and shutting down all the life-sustaining machines. In total, that would make… oh, about ten, twenty million deaths, fairy and human. At the very least ; and for the first few hours. "

He paused. Holly had gripped Butler's hand, her jaw clenched and her eyes wet. The gigantic man wasn't in a much better state. Both of them were completely distraught, incapable of saying anything.

Artemis spoke, softly.

" I am just like you. I don't want people to get hurt. I _really_ don't. But if you won't let me access the Wired, then well… you'll leave me no other choice. Especially since last time I reseted the countdown was two days and seventeen hours ago. "

Holly's tears were now openly streaming down her face. She was an exhausted and sensitive field soldier, not a negociator. As for Butler, he usually was good at resisting mind games, but his defenses were completely shattered, and he was too tired emotionally to hold on for very long.

Artemis smirked. He held them both by the throat.

" I see that you've understood the idea. You can't kill me, because the countdown will go off ; since I'm the only one who can use it, you can't keep me away from the Wired – because then the countdown will go off. Now that everything is clear, just allow me to remind you what I said earlier. "

He paused.

" You want all this to end ? That's simple. "

His reddened eyes were glimmering.

" _Give me back the Wired_. "

.

Artemis waited, patiently, his eyes closed so he could focus on his breathing and the clearing of his mind.

Butler and Holly hadn't even tried to find a flaw in Artemis' backup plan. It was a good thing : there _wasn't_ any flaw, so it would only have proven to be a waste of time. Something they certainly couldn't afford right now.

Artemis felt good. Everything was back under control.

Eventually, the cell's door creaked open, and the young Fowl straightened, his heart pounding, unable to hide his excitement.

Their expression grim and saddened, Holly and Butler stepped into the cell. The manservant carried Artemis' laptop, and Holly had fetched a tranquilizer gun from Butler's arsenal. She climbed on the bed, and went to stand right behind Artemis, putting the gun's cannon on the young Fowl's neck.

" You log in, reset the countdown, and log out ", she said coldly. " Attempt anything else, Fowl, and I'll knock you out instantly. "

Any hint of sympathy had completely vanished from her voice.

Grudgingly, Butler opened the laptop, switched it on and held it to his charge. Artemis pounced on it as if it was the first oasis he had run into after three days of walking into the desert.

The laptop on his knees, he typed so fast across the keyboard that his fingers were almost blurry. His gaze was ravenous, his breath short and his mouth half opened in expectation.

– _Entering the Wired_.

The young Fowl threw his head back, all his muscles contracting, moaning intensely in an almost obscene way. He chuckled, hysterically, his gaze frantic. Holly and Butler exchanged an horrified look, and the elf tightened her grip on the tranquilizer gun.

But Artemis, panting, slowly came back to his usual composed, mannered self, and resumed typing, though in a much calmer way.

Holly tried to watch over his shoulder, but to her the Wired was only a continued flow of numbers and code lines, streaming too fast for her to grasp anything ; much less _understand_ what Artemis was actually doing. It scared her, and she punched his scapula with the tip of her gun.

" What are you doing ? "

" I'm reseting the countdown, just as planned ", Artemis retorted. " Why ? You don't trust me ? "

" Oddly enough, _no_ , I don't ", Holly said. " … not anymore. "

The young Fowl ignored her.

But suddenly, as he finished typing his instructions and reached the Enter key, Butler's hand bolted out of nowhere, faster than lightning, and gripped his wrist in mid-air. Artemis raised his eyes, shocked at the bodyguard's sudden gesture. Yet, when he spoke, his tone was low and quiet.

" What on Earth do you think you're doing ? " he said. " I'm not finished. I have to validate the command, or else the countdown won't reset. "

Butler's gaze was sharp, and fierce.

" You are not going to reset the countdown, Artemis. You are going to delete it. _Now_. "

Artemis raised an eyebrow.

" And why would I obey you, exactly ? "

Butler raised his fist, and for a second, Artemis was truly frightened, for the manservant's eyes were completely merciless. But he controlled himself, and dropped his arm back.

" I've _never_ asked you that question, Artemis ", he replied. " I've never asked you _why_ I should obey you, even when you ordered me to do horrible things. You had me sell a lemur to a group of Extinctionnists. You had me shoot and abduct an innocent fairy for ransom. You had me almost killed, twice. You had me send your own mother to an asylum. "

The last remark hurt ; but Artemis wouldn't let him see how much. Yet, despite his enormous intellect, the young Fowl didn't understand where the manservant was going with this.

" You're my _bodyguard_ , Butler. You are _paid_ to follow my orders. "

" _I CAN'T TAKE THIS ANYMORE, ARTEMIS !_ "

Holly and Artemis backed up instinctively, startled by Butler's sudden outburst. He kept holding his charge's wrist above the keyboard, and Artemis felt the man's hand shaking.

Butler spoke again, almost in a whisper.

" I _can't_ take this anymore. I've always done my absolute best to protect you, to be by your side no matter what, from the very day you were born. At first it was just a job, but then as time passed, it changed. I _cared_ for you. I loved you, like a little brother. For all these years, I did everything you asked of me, because even when it was extreme, I _understood_ you. I knew _why_ you did all these things, and most of the time, it wasn't just because of the gold. But now, Artemis… _I can't understand you anymore_. I can't follow you. _I can't_. "

Butler's voice broke, and he paused.

" With the Wired, you went too far. This world domination nonsense isn't the Artemis I know. Can't you see how you've become severely addicted ? _How_ y _ou're not yourself anymore ?_ This _has_ to stop, Artemis. Before there's just _nothing_ left of you. You must deactivate the countdown, definitely. "

The manservant's gaze hardened.

" Before anyone else gets hurt… because of you. "

The remains of Artemis' heart were squinting. He tried, desperately, to keep his composure straight ; but deep within, he was torn in half.

He wanted to burst into tears, to run into Butler's embrace, ask for forgiveness, undo all those things he had done, because _he_ couldn't recognize himself anymore. Because he could _see_ the damages that the Wired had done to his sanity, to his body.

But there was another part of him, that couldn't forget the sensation of the bodyguard's punch on his stomach. That couldn't forget the betrayals – from the People, from Selene ; from Butler. A part of him that felt that the Wired was the only thing he really had left. The only thing that had never let him down.

Plus, the countdown was his life insurance. If he gave up on it, then nothing would keep Butler and Holly from betraying him again, and throw him into the next shuttle to be fed to Haven's inhabitants. The most spectacular plan Artemis had ever conceived would end with his pitiful capture.

If not with his death.

" No, Butler. I won't. "

The young Fowl clenched his fists, cuddling the laptop closer to his lap. The back of his brain had started itching again.

" The Wired is _mine_. I _earned_ it. You have no right to take it away from me. "

Artemis' voice was slowly turning into a menacing growling. He felt the tip of Holly's gun pressing harder against his neck, but he paid zero attention to her.

" I don't care about these humans or fairies. They are pitiful, useless creatures. They are so infatuated with their cellphones and digital devices, carrying them everywhere, from their pockets to their beds, that I can do _everything I want_ to them, at _any_ time. I can watch them, I can hear them. I'm omniscient, and omnipotent. Can't you see ? _I am the living God among a swarming crowd of powerless mortals_. "

Butler had already fought and defeated an adult troll almost with his bare hands ; but he had never been more terrified than he was right now, as he looked into Artemis' eyes – or into the _creature_ 's that was speaking with his voice.

" Holly, something is terribly wrong ! " he screamed.

" _Pull the trigger, elf_ , _and I'll annihilate all life on Earth !_ " Artemis cut, screaming even louder.

Holly backed away, her gun trembling in her hands. Butler grabbed his charge by the shoulders, and tried to shake him back into consciousness.

" Artemis, this isn't you ! This isn't you speaking right now ! "

The young Fowl turned into a fury, Wired-powered adrenaline running through his veins like boiling oil. He kicked around, hitting Holly's chin with his heel and throwing the food tray to crash on the ground loudly ; and he wavered his arms, clawing every surface coming across his nails, trying to reach the laptop that Butler had pushed away immediately.

" Holly, are you okay ?! " the manservant asked hurriedly.

The LEP Captain had been propelled to the floor by Artemis' hit, and she had dropped the tranquilizer gun, holding her chin with tears of pain in her eyes. Her head was surrounded with a blue halo of magic sparks.

Artemis was yelling, hysterically, his eyes widened in sheer madness.

" _The Wired is mine ! It's MINE !_ "

But despite all his efforts, Artemis still was a puny thirteen-year-old boy and Butler a highly-trained soldier with the muscular force of a polar bear. The manservant maintained him as still as he could without getting kicked or scratched in the face, and tried, desperately, to make eye contact.

" Artemis, listen to me. I know you're still here. You must fight this. You won't be alone, I promise you, I'll be here, but you must give up on the Wired, you must give up now. _Please_. "

Artemis roared furiously. His nose started bleeding.

" _The Wired is MINE, you pathetic creature !_ _You and_ _everyone else_ _can go to DIE !_ "

Butler backed away in shock. He was petrified with horror ; but not only because of the atrocity of his charge's words.

For a split second, the manservant was submerged by a cold, overwhelming dizziness, and his sight became dangerously blurry. He faltered, and felt his heart drop, in sheer despair.

This was just so wrong. This was just so horribly wrong.

He looked into his charge's eyes, he looked at the boy that he had seen growing from the very first day of his life. And he didn't recognize him.

 _Artemis…_ what _are you ?_

All of this happened in merely an instant. As soon as he was freed from the bodyguard's grip, Artemis tried to jump on the laptop ; but despite his internal turmoil, Butler was faster.

The young Fowl yelled, his face distorted in pure hatred, but the manservant backed away, the laptop in his hands, and pressed the Enter key. Code lines streamed down the machine's interface, and then a sentence appeared.

– _Countdown reseted to 7_ _1_ _:59:59_.

For a split second, Butler faced the Wired directly.

It felt to him as if he was staring directly into the non-existing bottom end of a supermassive black hole.

And there were _eyes_ staring back at him.

Instinctively, he dropped the laptop, and the device went to crash down on the hard cement ground. Artemis was instantly logged out of the Wired.

The boy screamed, splattering blood all over the white mattress ; uttering an atrocious cry, more heart-wrenching than a mother's to whom her baby had been ripped apart before her very eyes.

And then, his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed on the bed.

.

When Artemis woke up, it felt as if his entire body was burning.

He laid still, trying not to panic, but his brain was scorching, and every inch of his skin seemed to rot only from the contact with ambient air. The pain was unbearable. Artemis initiated a move, to raise his hand and scratch his eyes ; but he realized he had been handcuffed on the bed's headboard.

His heartbeat increased, and Artemis inhaled several deep breaths, his eyes widened in fear. The mere act of _breathing_ felt like a million shards of agony piercing through his throat. He gripped to the rusty bars of the headboard with a whimper of pain, his features distorted by the suffering.

A warm, massive hand passed before Artemis' eyes, bringing a damp cloth to his forehead and caressing it tenderly. Drops of cold water ran down on the boy's temples, to disappear in his already wet and tangled hair.

" Calm down ", Butler said. " Just breathe. "

The manservant was sitted on the floor, by the bed, so his face was at his charge's eyes level. Artemis turned his head, and stared at his bodyguard. All his usual smugness and confidence had disappeared from his eyes ; there was only terror, and confusion.

" … what happened to me… ? " he asked, in a croaking whisper.

Butler ran the cloth on the boy's face, with precision and gentleness. Artemis' gaze didn't stutter, his large blue, destroyed eyes locked into the manservant's.

" Don't think about it ", Butler replied, also in a whisper. " It's okay now. Just breathe. "

For a brief moment, the cold water soothed the itching ; but the burning sensation whiplashed back, and Artemis cringed in pain. He tried to inhale slowly and deeply, but he was getting short of breath, and he coughed violently, his eyes watering. He barely managed to stutter words, so weak and low that Butler had to lean closer to hear him.

" … I can't breathe… it hurts… Butler… it _hurts…_ "

The young boy started to really panic. The manservant took his hand, and Artemis squeezed his fingers, his entire body contracted by another wave of pain. With his spare hand, Butler stroke his charge's cheek, neverminding the mix of sweat and water covering the boy's features.

Butler spoke again. His gestures were soft and reassuring – mostly out of habits – ; but his steel-gray stare was resigned. Jaded. If there was any worry or sadness in him, he had concealed it deeply.

" I know, Artemis. I know. But you have to keep on fighting. You can do it. I'm right here. "

Artemis swallowed, and had another coughing fit. At each spasm, the burning sensation would intensify. He cried, openly. It only worsened the suffering, the tears searing their path down his sunken cheeks like razor blades.

Butler ran the cloth on Artemis' face again. His determination faltered for an instant. He wasn't sure his charge could still hear him, but he kept on whispering, firmly but caringly, squeezing the boy's hand with gentleness.

" You can do it, Artemis. You're strong. Focus on my voice. I'm right by your side. Breathe. "

The young Fowl was utterly sobbing. His spine arched in pain, and he screamed, his head buried in the mattress. The bodyguard's heart was pounding with concern and anxiety, but despite the dire situation, he wasn't terrified anymore.

Butler was extremely calm.

" You can do it, Artemis. You can do it. "

The boy's eyes opened, and stared back at Butler's. They were so red, so pleading, that the manservant felt his heart shatter into pieces.

" … I can't do it… Butler… "

" Don't be afraid. I'm right here. "

" … I don't want… I don't want to… "

Artemis was cut in the middle of his sentence by another shockwave of pain, that had him screaming uncontrollably. It was becoming more and more difficult for Butler to maintain his comforting smile, and despite his soldier training, he wondered if he was really taking the right decision.

He heard hurried footsteps down the stairs, and Holly bursted into the room, completely panicked.

" Butler, I can hear him from the entrance hall ! That's enough, we must… "

" _Shut up and close the door !_ "

Holly blinked, but she was too surprised to ask any questions. She locked the door, and stood by the wall, unsure what to do. Butler felt a small sting of guilt crossing his conscience ; but if he told the elf, out loud, what he had decided, then he might just not be able to pursue it to the end.

And that was the last, only solution.

So he ignored her.

After the fairy's irruption, Artemis had calmed down. Holly's LEP handcuffs had left a red, puffy trace on his wrists. He was panting, eyes wide open, staring directly into Butler's.

" … Butler… I need the Wired… _please_ … "

The manservant exhaled deeply, and shook his head, his gaze apologetic and remorseful.

" No, Artemis. I won't give it to you. "

" _please Butler_. I promise I won't do anything. I just need… I just need the Wired. "

The bodyguard tightened his grip on the boy's hand.

" No. The Wired is the last thing you need right now. "

He could still sense his charge shuddering, each time his addicted brain would send another range of agony signals through his body ; but Artemis' gaze had turn hard and focused, and he raised his head from the mattress.

" … Because you think I need _you_? " he asked viciously, his lips twisted in loathing.

Butler nodded, never stopping to stroke the boy's cheek and holding his hand.

" Yes, Artemis, you need me. I'm sorry I didn't see it before. But I'm here now. "

Suddenly, the young Fowl bit the manservant's hand with all the strength he had left. It wasn't really much, but Butler was so surprised that he backed both his hands away.

But the effort had been so intense that Artemis' head fell back on the mattress, and he just glared at the bodyguard with all the hatred he could muster.

" _You twisted, sadistic bastard_ ", he uttered. " You _like_ it, don't you ? "

Butler knew that his charge was blinded by the pain, and the severe withdrawal syndrom caused by his addiction to the Wired ; but it was just so cruel and unfair, that despite his quiet personality, and all his soldier training, the retort hurt him. Deeply.

" _I can't bear to see you like this_ , Artemis. You have no idea how painful it is to me. "

" _Oh, really ?_ " the young Fowl spat heinously. " Then why are you doing this ? Why are you torturing me ? "

" I'm not torturing you. You wouldn't be in pain, if you hadn't got _yourself_ addicted in the first place. "

Artemis chuckled meanly. He was shivering, severely, and his gaze became hazy.

" You're probably right ", he said matter-of-factly. " But that doesn't matter anymore, and you know it. _You've lost_. There's nothing you can do anymore to stop me. Why are you making me suffer, if not because you're enjoying this ? _You know it's useless_. You know you can't keep me away from the Wired indefinitely. "

He coughed. A few droplets of blood stained the mattress. But despite his miserable state, there was still something majestic, and utterly dangerous in his features.

He was a wretched teenager, crippled with insanity and addiction ; and yet, he was the most powerful person on the entire planet.

Artemis turned back to face Butler, and smiled.

" _I've beat you, Butler_. _All_ of you. Whatever you do to me, to maintain the illusion that you still have some control… you can't erase that. You know the truth. _I've won_. "

Captain Short, of course, clenched her fists and looked down, her shoulders trembling. Too desperate to say anything.

Butler, however, did something that Artemis hadn't expected.

He nodded.

" _Yes_ , Artemis. _Yes_. You've won. Of course you did. You left us no chance to help you, never. So yes, you've won. You've doomed the entire fairy and human civilizations to a life of fear and slavery, under the domination of a tyrannic, teenage control-freak. You've doomed yourself to a life of dependance, paranoia and suffering. _A life of utter loneliness_. "

Artemis swallowed. Something, in the resigned, final tone of the bodyguard was frightening him. Holly herself had raised her head, frowning at them with incomprehension.

Butler had paused. His eyes were watering ; but when he looked up at Artemis, there was nothing in them other than determination.

" You've won, Artemis. But as long as I'm alive… "

He pulled his Sig Sauer out.

" … I won't let that happen. "

For a few moments, the atmosphere in Holly Short's former cell was thick with an astonished, heavy silence.

Then, Artemis' eyelids fluttered, and he backed away from his bodyguard, slowly, shaking his head in disbelief.

" You… you can't be serious, Butler. This is a bluff. "

The manservant raised his gun, pointing it at his charge's head. All the weapon's components were purely and strictly mechanical. Even if he had the Wired, there was nothing Artemis could do.

" I'm just like you, Artemis ", Butler said. " I never bluff. "

The young Fowl's eyes widened. A cold, overwhelming feeling started to arise in his throat, fading all the Wired-induced pain away.

Pure, absolute terror.

Holly suddenly emerged from her incredulous state, and ran towards the bodyguard. Immediately, he pointed the Sig Sauer at her, and she froze, her arms up.

" Don't do that ! " she said, the most calmly as she could. " We need him alive to reset the countdown ! Butler… "

" Stay back, Holly ", the manservant cut with a tone that didn't appeal any discussion. " _Stay back._ I know what I'm doing. "

Holly looked at him with such incomprehension that he felt his determination drop. But he concealed the feelings away, and ignored her, turning back to face Artemis.

The boy's hands were shaking, any hint of complacency completely gone from his eyes.

" B-Butler… you can't d-do that. Everyone will die. "

The manservant reinforced his grip on the Sig Sauer. After all his years serving as an international spy for various intelligence services, he thought it would be okay. But the young Fowl's terrified expression just broke his heart.

" Everyone will die anyway, Artemis ", he replied, his tone caring but final. " Sooner or later. If it's not the countdown, then it will be something else. You are a time bomb waiting to go off, Artemis. My mission was to protect you… but I've already failed. "

Artemis shook his head desperately, struggling to get as far as possible from the Sig Sauer, but he was tied to the bed. He started to cry. More than ever, he looked weak and fragile, like the child he actually was.

" _No… no… please… I don't want to die…_ "

" I can't save you from yourself, Artemis… " Butler said, softly. " I can't. … But if everyone has to die, then so be it. There's something I can do. I can protect you from witnessing it. I can protect you from becoming even more of a monster. "

He paused.

" But there's only one way. "

" _Butler… please… that's nonsense… don't…_ "

Ignoring his principle's whimpers, silencing the horrified cries of his protective instinct and going against every single rule he had ever learned as a bodyguard, Butler pulled the gun's hammer and aimed at the boy's heart.

The shot would be clean, and the death, instantaneous.

" If I want to protect you ", he said, his voice merely wavering, " I must kill you. "

Artemis, sobbing and kicking around, started to panick completely. This wasn't real. This was another nightmare. _This couldn't be real_.

" Butler _…_ please _… please…_ "

The tip of Butler's Sig Sauer trembled. The manservant lost his entire composure, and spoke, softly, tenderly.

" Artemis… Artemis, listen to me. My name… "

The young boy froze, his eyes widened in horror.

" My name ", Butler said, with a true, warm smile, " is Domovoï. "

At this precise moment, Artemis realized two things.

One, his bodyguard and protector was named after a guardian spirit in Slavic folklore.

And two, if Butler was telling him his first name, going against the most basic rule from Madame Ko's Academy, then it meant that it didn't matter anymore if Artemis knew it or not.

Butler really was going to kill him.

Artemis started screaming, uncontrollably. The plan, the Wired and everything else had completely deserted his mind, and he was incapable of thinking about anything else than this horrible, irrevocable truth.

He was going to die.

Suddenly, something started to boil in his veins. An overwhelming wave engulfed his entire body, and he yelled, with all the force he had left.

" _BUTLER, STOP ! I DON'T WANT TO DIE !_ "

Simultaneously, several things happened.

The manservant started pulling the Sig Sauer's trigger ; but he never finished his move.

In Artemis' maddened, utterly terrified eyes, something appeared, distorting the round shape of his blue irises.

Glitches.

Butler was paralyzed. His eyes widened in fear and stupefaction, as his _entire_ body started to Glitch hazardingly. He dropped the gun, and lowered his head to Artemis. Opened his mouth, to speak.

And then, within the blink of an eye, he was _desintegrated_.

A huge, dark blast stunned Artemis and Holly out, making them close their eyes instinctively. A thunderous _tearing_ sound filled the room, making the Manor's fundations shatter. Then, a loud, heavy silence.

When Artemis and Holly opened their eyes, Butler was gone.

.

For a moment, they both stood still, completely unable to process what had happened.

Then, Holly's mouth opened, and a silent, disarticulate cry emerged from her lips. She fell on the ground, like a broken puppet.

Her voice eventually came back to her ; and she screamed, her gaze completely frantic. Her hands grasping the blood-soiled white floor.

Artemis didn't move. He didn't speak. He didn't cry.

He gathered his breath, slowly, his heart threatening to burst out of his chest. He ran his left hand across his face ; when he raised it before his eyes, his fingers were damp with blood.

 _Not just blood. Butler's blood_ , said a voice in the back of his head.

 _No, it's not_ , replied another voice. _That's impossible. Butler can't die_.

A terrifying warmth was pounding, rushing through Artemis' veins. He was feeling atrociously dizzy, but he forced himself to be focused, to clear his mind, so he could _think_.

So he could understand _what the hell_ had just happened.

Holly got the same idea, apparently. Her entire body shaking, she bolted straight towards the bed, and gripped Artemis by the front of his shirt. She punched him, hard.

" _What have you done ? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE ?!_ " she yelled, tears streaming down her face, melting with the gore into a rosy, liquid mixture.

 _I don't know,_ Artemis thought, not even paying attention to the pain rising on his left cheek. _I don't know. This wasn't supposed to happen. This isn't supposed to be_ possible. _Unless…_

And then.

Artemis understood.

The LEP handcuffs opened themselves with a soft click, and dropped on the mattress, Glitching lightly. Holly jumped in surprise, and stepped out of the bed, her mouth open in shock. Slowly, his head pounding with migraine, Artemis sat, and stood up.

His face was expressionless, but when he stared into Holly's eyes, it was with a strange mix of excitement and despair.

" I get it, Captain Short ", he whispered. " I finally get it. For all this time, I thought the Wired was just a network, that it only affected the digital world ; but… _I was wrong_. "

Holly blinked.

" _Wha… what are you talking about ?!_ "

Artemis just stared back blankly.

" The Wired isn't a network, fairy. It's much, much bigger. _It's the source code of Reality itself_. "

Holly stood still, for half a second. Then she ran for the Sig Sauer laying on the floor. Well, at least, she tried to.

Artemis raised his hand, and Holly was projected onto the wall, an invisible, Glitching force pushing her body, maintaining her against the blood-splattered cement as if she was in a LEP titanium pod riding a magma flare.

" I don't even need a computer to access the Wired anymore. I have the ability to rewrite the _entire reality_ as we know it ", Artemis said, wide-eyed, his hand still raised in the air. " This is true, _absolute_ power. Can't you see ? I'm not _just_ the God of the Wired. I _am_ God. "

With a huge, tremendous effort, Holly slid her hand down the wall, and reached her pocket. Artemis dropped her, and turned around, haggard.

Holly, pulling the minidisk out of her jeans, crawled on the floor behind him, her voice pleading and desperate.

" … Artemis… please, wait… "

The young Fowl pressed his hands against his ears, and screamed.

" _WON'T YOU ALL JUST SHUT UP ?!_ "

A shockwave of Glitching swallowed the room, passing through the walls and engulfing the entire Manor – then the whole British Isles. And then everything above and below the surface of the Earth, from the frozen coasts of Arctic straight down to the suburbs of Haven City.

Holly remained on the floor, the minidisk in her hand ; still and quiet. But she wasn't dead.

Artemis had _paused_ her. Along with the entire planet.

He faltered for a second, nauseous, eyes half-closed ; submerged by an intense migraine. When he opened his eyes, he looked all around him, at the white cell speckled with blood, at the abandoned Sig Sauer on the ground, and at the immobilised elf on the floor, a gold minidisk in her palm.

Then, he opened the door, and left.

" … I need some time to think. "


	14. Database 13 : Ctrl+Z

**Database #13 : Ctrl+Z**

**FOWL MANOR, IRELAND**

_This c_ _a_ _n't be real_.

Artemis blinked ; once, then twice.

His ears were still ringing from that _sound_ – that thunderous _tearing_ sound, that had ripped the room's atmosphere apart, a mere few seconds ago.

In contrast, the current silence felt so dense and heavy, it became utterly _sickening_.

Artemis' throat was acrid, indeed ; the strange electric, overwhelming warmth that had risen in his lungs, moments before, was fading away, slowly, leaving him shuddering and with an aching, cold lump in his stomach.

The young Fowl blinked again, nauseous. His vision was still blurred with tears ; but he wasn't crying anymore. All the panic and absolute terror he had just felt, all that intolerable fear at realizing the brutal, horrifying fact that he was going to die – that he was going to be _killed_ – had been instantly shut down. Silenced. Like a candle put under a glass.

Artemis swallowed, his eyes blinking almost automatically. He was terrifyingly calm ; as if his mind had been engulfed into a soft, mellow blanket, pushing all the feelings and suffering aside, as far as possible. Yet, just as a candle under a glass isn't blown out until the glass is removed, Artemis' brain wouldn't give up. It fought with this comforting numbness, trying desperately to grasp comprehension and control of the situation again.

Everything was so quiet now ; but something felt wrong. Horribly wrong.

Butler was gone.

And despite all his efforts, Artemis couldn't remember him walking away.

_This can't be real._

The boy's heart started pounding against his chest, as he tried to recall what had happened. Butler had told him his first name.

 _Domovoï_.

He had pointed his Sig Sauer at him. Intenting to kill him. The memory of his own pleading screams made Artemis shiver. He remembered thinking, as he had stared into the gun's cannon, that the shot would be clean – and the death, instantaneous.

And then, there had been this… _warmth_. His fear of dying had become so unbearable, that his lungs had started to burn, and it had felt as if his heart had exploded. He vaguely remembered that he had said, screamed one last thing ; and then, the world had gone black, and there had been this sound – as if the very fabric of reality had been violently ripped apart. And then, utter silence.

For a very few, yet extremely long seconds, Artemis had truly believed that he was dead.

But then, he had opened his eyes again, his veins still boiling and pounding with electricity ; and Butler was gone.

_This just can't be real._

Artemis' breathing hardened, as the comforting blanket enveloping his brain started to remove itself sluggishly. Immediately, his genius intelligence provided him with the obvious, only possible answer to all his questions ; but it refused to click. He just couldn't accept it.

_This can't be real. Why… why is everything so red ?_

Suddenly, the silence was broken.

The fairy. She was screaming.

The sound of Holly's voice finished to remove the comforting blanket ; and her voice was filled with such pure despair, that Artemis just had to accept that his rational self was telling him the truth.

But he couldn't.

Internally, the young boy was an absolute mess – his mind torn apart between the knowledge that there was no running away possible from such an unforgiving truth ; and the irrational, desperate conviction that for once, just once, he was wrong, and this just wasn't real. But on the outside, Artemis seemed completely off.

He laid still, on the bed, his wrists hanged above the mattress by the LEP handcuffs, and his gaze dull. Eventually, moving as if in slow motion, he managed to raise one hand to his face, and then pull it back, staring at his fingers blankly.

 _Blood_ , his brain analyzed at first.

 _Not just blood. Butler's_ _blood_ _,_ said an emotionless voice in the back of his head.

 _No, it's not_ , immediately replied another voice. _That's impossible. Butler can't die_.

The electric warmth in the young Fowl's lungs arose again, as he kept on repeating these words mentally, like a mantra. Butler couldn't die, of course not, that would be impossible, unthinkable. A world without Butler wouldn't make any sense.

_Where is he then, if he's not dead ? What happened ? What ? Happened ?_

Artemis' throat became filled with bile. An horrid, awful idea had emerged, and it started echoing in his mind, ruthlessly.

 _Butler didn't_ die _. I_ killed _him._

Mentally, the young boy shook his head, feverishly. _No_. Just _no_. How the hell would he have… done anything to Butler ? He was completely defenseless, tied to a bed, deprived of his supernatural powers, held at gunpoint, and terrified. How would he have…

The answer came, immediately.

_With the Wired._

And the reply fused, just as instantly.

 _The Wired isn't supposed to do that._ I'm _not supposed to be able to do that._

But even when in severe denial, Artemis and his sense of reason just couldn't ignore for much longer that this was the only possible explanation.

… _then how… ? …_ how _did I access the Wired ?_

Suddenly, Artemis was gripped by the front of his shirt, and before he could process the information, Holly punched him. Really hard. Somehow, it helped to clear his mind, and the horrid, awful idea vanished, for a moment.

 _"_ _What have you done ? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE ?!_ _"_ Holly yelled, her face, just as Artemis', covered in tears and blood.

_" …_ _I don't know._ _"_

Artemis' left cheekbone was starting to swallow alarmingly, but he barely even noticed the pain. His brain was running at full speed, trying to solve the enigma – of how the hell had he managed to access and use the Wired the time it took Butler to start pulling the trigger, without even realizing it, and most of all _without any technological device whatsoever_.

Ignoring the burning warmth in his chest, he mentally gathered everything, every single drop of information he had about the Wired, trying to figure this out.

Realizing, in the process, that the _only_ information he hadn't found using the Wired – truth be told, because he had other things to care about back then –… was _what_ the Wired was exactly in itself.

… _I don't know_.

The Wired wasn't a virus. Nor was it just an advanced network, neither something purely magical. It also wasn't an artificial intelligence, a military superprogram, a malevolent entity… or anything else like this.

Yet, it emanated this _aura_.

This aura that everybody perceived ; merely by hearing the five letter word out loud. This aura that had Foaly break an oath on the Book of the People, that got Lain and many more hackers turn insane. This aura, that caught Artemis' attention, all those weeks ago, in a darknet's chatroom, after the Wired had Glitched its way into his life.

This aura that some feared ; and others craved for.

Artemis suddenly realized how, amongst all the others, he had utterly, _desperately_ craved for what the Wired promised ; he had craved for it more than for gold, revenge or his father's approval – more than anything else in the world. And the Wired had destroyed him. Then, granted him with the pure, raw power he seeked.

But only when he had a keyboard and a monitor as an interface.

Or at last, that's how it was a few minutes ago. That's how it was before Butler… disappeared.

Gazing into the distance, above Holly's head, Artemis blinked, and one single tear rolled down his cheek.

Whatever the Wired was, the only way to access it was through a digital device. _That's just how it worked_. But somehow, for no reason, without any explanation… it had worked differently.

 _This isn't supposed to be_ possible. _This._ Isn't _. Supposed. To be._ Possible _._

But suddenly, Artemis recalled something. The first Glitch he had ever witnessed.

It hadn't manifested itself in his cellphone. It was on a blackboard. _Directly into the physical world_.

 _"_ _…_ This isn't supposed to be possible. Unless _…_ _"_

And then.

 _Unless_.

Everything became clear.

The burning within Artemis' chest brutally expanded, reaching his arms and throat, filling his blood with electricity.

_Focus, Artemis. Focus._

The theory was so huge, that he had to test it out before he could actually believe in it.

_Handcuffs. Magnetic lock. Unseal._

With a soft click, the LEP material dropped on the mattress, unlocked. Glitching gently.

.

After that point, the scene occuring in the room became background noise to Artemis, his body moving on automatic mode. His brain was burning with Glitching power, running and thinking at light speed ; he barely realized that he was voicing some parts of his train of thoughts out loud.

" For all this time, I thought the Wired was just a network, that it only affected the digital world ; but… _I was wrong_. "

… _or not exactly so. I was wrong, and I wasn't. I pictured the Wired as a network ; and as I long as I saw it that way, it worked that way. Usable via read-only and edit mode, affecting only digital and technical material, and accessible only through a digital device._

But that was _exactly_ what the Wired was about.

 _The Wired is just about_ how _you rationalize it._

Thinking about it, it is nothing more than what you learn in art and philosophy class in high school. Nobody perceives _reality_ the same way.

 _And that's what I believe the Wired is. Every single aspect and detail of reality is reachable and alterable by the Wired… because the Wired_ is _reality._

Or, to stay in a data processing paradigm…

" … _the source code of Reality itself_. "

_And if you hack into the source code of reality, and alter it… then you have the power to shape our world's entire rules and tangible layers at will._

" … the ability to rewrite the _entire reality_ as we know it. "

 _You have true, absolute power_.

At this moment, the Wired's force within Artemis burned so hard he briefly lost track of his reasoning, and wondered if he was going to melt down alive ; but quickly, the burning sensation turned into a heady, gorgeous, nauseating sense of powerfulness. The undisputable knowledge that he was _above_ the very notion of almighty power.

Artemis' hand started shaking in the air, and he dropped his arm, not even hearing Holly's whimper as she slided down the wall and fell on the ground – he hadn't even noticed that he had Wired-pushed her in the first place. The sensation of power he felt right now was beyond everything. It was at least tenth times more intense than logging into the Wired on a computer.

More than ever, it felt like an _awakening_.

As if he had truly opened his eyes on the world and grasped it for the very first time, in its every dimensions.

He saw the cell splattered in blood around him, and heard Holly coughing on the dusty floor ; but he also realized it was dawn outside.

The air was cold and vibrant, and the snow shimmered when the first sun rays pierced through the clouds. The night frost had started to melt slowly, on the gold and marble fountain in the center of the Manor's maze ; the drops of molten snow rolling down the sculptures making them seem almost alive. A few miles away, the ocean was rough and tormented.

From the Fowl Manor's cellars, Artemis could feel all of that.

He sensed the salty taste of the sea on his lips, the warmth of the sun hitting the snow-covered hills, the harshness of the wind brushing against the replica of Camille Claudel's _The Mature Age_ sculpture in the maze. Closer, he could also detect the smell of the wine bottles in the cellar nearby, and the buzzing of the light bulb on the ceiling. He perceived the statics in the atmosphere, the electromagnetic radiations in the corridors, the wireless Internet connections across the European continent ; and much more.

At first, it was the most thrilling, exhilarating feeling Artemis had ever experienced in his life.

But then, his excitement slowly started to turn into fear.

The Wired kept on assaulting his mind in huge, relentless waves of information, one after the other in a neverending flow of upgrades and updates.

One every new second ; _each_ wave containing _every_ data about the current state of reality. Sounds, images, smells, tastes. Mathematical, quantical, literary, philosophical, biological formulas. Codes, numbers, constants, sentences, equations, theorems, streaming down before his eyes at an insane speed.

But there was more than a mere enumeration of plain facts. Artemis didn't access only the precise coordinates of any living being on the planet, along with their digital files and their biological informations, ranging from their Internet accounts to their DNA code. Most of all, he experienced their _sensations_.

Their thoughts. Their dreams, also ; for the imaginary is as much a part of the social reality than the physical and the digital worlds are.

Artemis' own nightmares started to mix up with children dreams, post-traumatic delusions and erotic fantasies. He could barely hear himself think, over the chattering of every living being, human, animal, vegetal and fairy, on the entire planet. The million births, the thousands deaths across the Earth, and all the relief, anger, love, sadness, hope, fear and hatred vibrating in the social dimension of reality engulfed his brain mercilessly, barely leaving enough space for his own conscience to breathe.

Suddenly submerged by a new Wired rush, Artemis was brutally pushed back into his body, and an overwhelming terror seized him when he realized how abnormally fast his heart pounded.

 _The human brain has never been conceived to be fully omniscient_ , the young Fowl suddenly realized. _It's a miracle that I've made it so far alive._

A miracle, or a demonstration of sheer unconscious will and determination.

His face paler than the room's white cement, Artemis turned back from Holly, haggard, and started walking towards the door. He closed his eyes, desperately trying to ignore the Wired's constant flow of information munching onto his own consciousness.

_Control. I need control. Find a solution right now, before I disappear._

Despite the emergency, Artemis' brain couldn't manage to run at its usual speed, utterly submerged by the Wired. He tried putting all his remaining will into this, but his own situation kept on fading away. There was a bear devoring a deer, in the Boreal forest of Canada ; the deer's cries for help and the bear's thoughts of contentment kept on resonating in the boy's mind. His heart started pounding faster and faster.

_A solution. Now. Something._

A second passed, along with a new wave of information. The deer was dead. Somewhere in France, there was a woman giving birth – it was already about an hour and she hadn't had an epidural yet. There was a new contraction which almost broke Artemis down to the ground in tears.

_Something. Now. NOW._

" Open your books at page 42… "

 _Something_.

" … Nobody's hurt… Thanks Frond, nobody's hurt. "

_Please…_

" … venti-due a Firenze, e diciotto a Bologna. Buona mattinà… "

_Artemis, think. Think._

" … Minerva, dépêche-toi un peu, tu vas être en retard à ta soutenance. "

_Think of something._

" … Mom, I can't find my skates, have you seen them ? "

_The Wired. Glitches. Read-only mode. Edit mode._

" … and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, amen… "

 _Edit mode. Edit. …_ Edit _._

" I love you. Have a good day. "

… _what would an editor do ?_

" … Artemis… please, wait… "

The young boy barely recognized Holly Short's voice, out of the magma of souls and consciences populating the universe. Yet, as she was so close behind him, he felt the distress in her voice as if she had stabbed him in the chest. For a brief moment, he saw the world through her eyes.

He saw himself the way she saw him.

And it was just too much.

" _WON'T YOU ALL JUST SHUT UP ?!_ _"_

Artemis sensed the warmth of the Wired exiting his body, as the Glitching shockwave crossed the walls of Fowl Manor to swallow the entire planet, in less than seven seconds and nineteen milliseconds. And then the warmth came back, gently, and everything was much more quiet.

The voices, hallucinations and animal growlings had turned into a low and blurry murmur, growing fainter by the second. Artemis turned around, and looked at the room, still a bit confused.

 _Think of the Wired as an editing software_ , he told himself. _Reality is a timeline, with an almost infinite number of tracks. Each "wave" of information is the timeline updating, with a new timecode – new clips constantly being added, cut out or trimmed. And as an editor, I can travel across the timeline, from timecode to timecode, I can zoom in and out, I can edit the clips… and I can pause the whole thing down._

Having never been a huge cinema-lover, Artemis only had basic knowledge of film editing, but for now, it was enough. It felt slightly better. Slightly.

The boy's eyes were locked on the Sig Sauer, abandoned on the floor. The tip of the gun Glitched, softly.

Artemis blinked, brought back to reality by a new timecode – 2003:01:03:06:38:46.

Save from his own presence, the timeline was empty.

Artemis shivered, a lump of discomfort dropping on his stomach. He turned around, and left the room as quickly as he could without getting too nauseous.

" … I need some time to think. "

… _I need to find Butler._

.

2003:01:03:06:38:46.

Artemis stood in the middle of the Manor's hallway, shivering, hugging himself for warmth – feeling atrociously cold despite the Wired inside him. Breathing loudly, he swallowed, trying to calm himself down.

Ever so slowly, after the intensity of what he had been through in the last ten minutes – the last previous six hundred timecodes –, the young Fowl started to come back to his senses, and his eyes became piercing and focused again. Eventually, his haunted expression shifted back to a more usual composed, yet worried one.

He could sense the Wired's presence inside, and all around him. Technically, he wasn't alone ; the world was nothing more than paused, and he could play it again whenever he wanted. But something was still off.

There was one presence that he couldn't find, despite his efforts. That worried him.

 _Butler can't have gone far. I'll find him_ , said a voice in his head.

 _You'll never find Butler again and you know it,_ cut another one.

Artemis started walking, climbing the stairs inconsciously. As he made his silent way into the large, empty corridors of the Manor, he couldn't hold a bitter sneer back.

He, Artemis Fowl the Second, was now the incarnation of the very concept of powerful… and he had absolutely no clue what to do.

The door creaked as he opened it, bringing him back to present day, present time. He found himself confused for a moment, as the room was plunged into darkness. He wavered his hand in the air, and the curtains flung themselves open. When his eyes grew accustomed to the light, Artemis realized he was in the master bedroom. For a minute, he stood still ; then took one, two hesitant steps inside. His father was on the king sized bed, curled up into the sheets, but his eyes were wide open.

Artemis narrowed his own identically ocean blue eyes, and stepped closer. Then, he felt his heart drop.

In Artemis Senior's paused, horrified stare, there was a small, yet unmistakable Glitch.

The young Fowl stepped back, and put his hands on his face, concentrating. He spoke, out loud – that helped him focus the Wired's energy.

" TC : 2002:12:31:21:04:17."

_At the bottom of the stairs, Selene, panting heavily, started to slow down, her heart threatening to burst out of her chest. Suddenly, Artemis' fingers clenched on her skinny arm like a hawk's claws, and she screamed._

" … Too early. TC : 2002:12:31:21:11:56. "

_Both Artemises stared at each other, in silence, for a second. Then, the youngest one spoke, very softly._

" _Now, you see me. Now, you respect me. Now, you fear me. … It's a little too late, for all of that. "_

_Artemis Senior didn't reply. He was petrified, in sheer horror. That creature… that creature wasn't his son. And this underlying light, in his eyes… the former criminal leader wondered, did he really appear like that, to his opponents ?_

_But then, the creature spoke again._

" _I wish you never came back from Mourmansk. "_

Artemis dropped his hands, his mouth dropping in shock when realizing what he had done. He started shaking, completely appalled.

_I wish you never came back from Mourmansk._

He looked down at his father, laying on the bed with his hands gripping upon his amputated leg. Unaffected by the global pause, the Glitch in the man's eyes was pulsing gently, at the rythm of the loop Artemis had locked his father into.

A loop of Artemis Senior's worst and most nightmarish memory of the past decade.

The young Fowl stepped back hurriedly, unable to take his gaze away from his father's haunted, distorted expression. His heart started stinging, unbearably.

" … that's not my fault ", he muttered out loud, still shaking. " _I didn't know_. That's not my fault. "

He looked down at his hands. After he had put them on his face, they were covered in blood. And suddenly, without any warning, the horrid, awful idea emerged again.

 _I killed Butler_.

Artemis rushed to the master bedroom's attenant bathroom, and collapsed on the floor, panting and heaving. He crawled on the tiling, to the sink, and opened the valve. He poured his hands into the hot water, scratching his fingers and palms with the energy of a madman ; soon, the sink's enamel turned pink-brown. Not daring to look at his reflexion, in the mirror, Artemis dipped his head under the streaming water, rubbing his face furiously.

He collapsed on his knees, panting, soaking with water. But the voice in his head wouldn't shut up.

 _I killed Butler_.

Artemis felt a Wired wave growing inside him, and he pressed his chest with all his strength, jaw clenched.

_I must not loose control. I must not loose control again. I didn't kill Butler. Butler isn't dead. Butler can't be dead._

His eyes started to burn, but he wouldn't allow himself to cry, even though there would be nobody to witness it anyway.

" Butler can't be dead ", he asserted firmly out loud, to calm himself down. " That wouldn't make sense. I told Father I wished he never came back from Mourmansk, and that didn't kill him. "

Artemis nodded encouragingly, his irregular breathing easing itself slowly.

" I didn't tell Butler I wanted him dead. I said that _I_ didn't want to die. I only asked him to _stop_. "

 _And you stopped him indeed_ , the mean voice in his head replied.

His legs still shaking, Artemis bolted out of the bathroom, and exited the master bedroom, half-leaning against the wall – not daring to look toward his father's bed.

He ended up in the corridor, crying, half-running, half-crawling.

" Butler ! _Butler ! Where are you ? WHERE ARE YOU ?!_ "

The boy ran erratically past his own bedroom, then his office, until he had reached the last door. He pushed it open, and landed on the manservant's bedroom carpet.

The room was empty, and all tied up. On the nightstand, there was the latest _Guns and Ammo_ magazine, and a worn-out edition of _Jane Austen_. The patchwork bedspread was handmade by Juliet, and still had the bodyguard's smell of warm oak wood and after-shave. On the desk, facing the wardrobe filled with Zegna suits and workout clothes, Butler's gun-cleaning towel, and a dismantled Uzi. There were also, neatly stored, a relatively huge pile of collector ammunition, cookbooks, and Fred Astaire musicals DVDs.

On the shelf, right above the bed, caringly disposed, were Artemis' nine origamis – he offered one to Butler each year, for the manservant's birthday, since he was five.

The young boy laid on the empty bedroom's floor, crying softly.

" Butler… Please come back… Please… Don't leave me alone… "

Only silence replied.

" … Please come save me. "

.

Artemis found himself in the hallway again, unable to tell for how long he had been there. Well, technically, if he wanted to tell for how long, he could ; but he didn't want to.

The young Fowl was seated on the first step of the marble stairs, holding his legs close to his chest, his face half-buried into his knees. He had taken Butler's bedspread, and wrapped himself in it. Somehow, the manservant's warm, protective smell made him feel a bit better. Safer. Even though some part of him kept thinking it was childish, Artemis clunged onto the large piece of cloth, hoping that if he fell asleep, Butler would come pick him up and put him to bed, and he would wake up from this endless nightmare.

He was just extremely, incredibly tired.

Butler was nowhere to be found.

 _Really_ nowhere to be found.

The Major, for example, or Archimedes or Virginia Woolf, could appear to be nowhere to be found. But Artemis _did_ find them ; in what he pictured was the Wired's archive bin. They were dead, sure, but they were still stored somewhere – they were still part of the Wired.

Butler was _nowhere_ to be found.

Artemis had searched, first for hours and then for more timecodes than he could count. And there was just absolutely no trace of Butler, anywhere. As if…

… _he had never existed._

His belongings were still there. He was still remembered, in what Artemis would describe as the "social reality" tracks of the timeline. His birth certificate still existed, along with his other official documents and the contract he had signed with Artemis' parents, about fourteen years ago.

But Domovoï Butler, the man himself – the body, the soul, the conscience, or whatever – had _vanished_.

Artemis buried his face in his knees even more, his shoulders weighted with a burden he still refused to entirely process.

The Wired was still pulsing in his veins, but it had absolutely nothing exhilarating anymore. He just felt sad, small, and lonely.

The thought of un-pausing someone had crossed his mind, obviously – but who would he want to wake up ? Selene had betrayed him. The last time he had spoken with his parents, they had ended up respectively in an asylum and in an infinite loop of traumatizing memories. All the fairies hated him. He didn't know anyone else he would want to speak to.

The only person he wanted to talk to, the only person who could have comforted him, had disappeared of this plane of existence.

I _made him disappear._

Artemis stayed there, huddled at the bottom of the stairs in Butler's bedspread, until his eyes were too sore to keep on crying. He tried to get himself to move, to do something with his newfound absolute powers – but nothing appealed to him. He listened, but there wasn't much more than silence around, and vague, distant echoes from the past – conversations, thoughts, moans, whispers. Most of them were in various human languages ; some in Gnommish.

Eventually, Artemis stood up, still wearing the bedspread, and went back into the Manor's cellars. On the threshold of Holly's former cell, he looked at the paused elf. Their gazes met, even though she didn't see him.

The young Fowl stepped forward, and kneeled.

Picking up the minidisk in Holly's palm.

.

He watched it entirely a first time.

Then a second time.

After the third time, the shame and guilt became impossible to bear any longer. Some kind of self-protection instinct kicked in, and a burning Wired wave whiplashed through his chest, escaping his control.

The minidisk exploded, in a rain of Glitching and polycarbonate dust. Butler's bedspread got splattered with molten aluminium drops, but Artemis couldn't have cared less.

He remembered everything. Absolutely everything.

He fell down to his knees, staring at the ground, transfixed.

It was so… _odd_.

His memories were back ; but he was _emptied._ Any feeling, any emotion had deserted him.

Only a latent, dull pain remained.

Suddenly, a menacing, low sound emerged from the cell's walls. The cement bubbled, then cracked open lenghtwise, fissures lurching forward in an alarmingly violent fashion. An invisible force propelled the mattress out of the bed, and teared it into shreds as if it was a mere paper handkerchief.

Artemis kept on staring at the ground, his jaw clenched ; fingernails planted into the soil, scratching the dust and clotted blood. A red drop fell from his nose, and he tilted his head up, allowing the nosebleed to run down on his mouth and chin, eyes still wide open.

The bed's rusty frame crushed itself against the opposite wall, then was projected alternatively on the ceiling, the ground and every other wall, faster and faster, harder and harder, so brutally it made the Manor's foundations shatter. Each blow brought sensation back into Artemis' heart – a raging, storming feeling of hatred and madness. He wanted the Manor to collapse to the ground, with him underneath it. He wanted the world to _suffer_.

A whiplashing migraine suddenly awoke him with a violent spasm, unleashing a Glitching bolt which snatched the light bulb on the ceiling, plunging the room into darkness. The bed's frame fell back to the ground, mashed up like a crumpled soda can.

Artemis buried his head in his hands, shoulders trembling, the migraine pulsing against his skull. Slowly, the anger faded away, replaced by a sickening, unforgiving guilt.

The cellar corridors kept on reverberating the impact sound for a few seconds ; and then, it was over.

Silence was restored all over again.

.

… or was it ?

Artemis froze into place, and slowly looked up at the ceiling, unable to believe his own ears.

That music.

When he had first started hearing it in the back of his head, before pausing everyone, he hadn't paid attention at first. When it had kept on playing _after_ the global pause, he had assumed it was just the Wired and his mind playing tricks on him.

But now, through the cracks in the cement, he could _distinctly_ hear it.

 _Gnossienne n°5_.

.

Selene had sensed Butler's death at the precise moment it had happened.

She was already weakened by the endless hours of piano work, and feeling the manservant's sudden and brutal _absence_ almost broke her. But she dragged the last ounces of determination out of her soul, and even if a few notes flinched, and she couldn't see the keys through her tears, Selene didn't stop playing.

But then, something warm and dangerously _fast_ seemed to approach, and before she could even begin to start screaming, she was swallowed by what appeared to be a supermassive Glitching wave. Half a second later, it had passed.

She sat still, her fingers hovering above the piano keys. Breathing loudly, not daring to make a move.

The young girl looked out through the bay window, and after a few seconds she noticed that the clouds and the trees suddenly seemed… very _still_.

Selene stared, for a brief moment, her heart pounding. Then, she turned back to the piano, and resumed playing.

Quickly, she had lost track of time again ; maybe she had played the _Gnossienne_ for fifteen times, or maybe seven thousands. Through the music room soundproof walls, she couldn't hear Artemis destroying the cell, three floors below. She felt the ground vibrating, though ; but she refused to pay attention. Even if the Manor were to be burnt to the ground, Selene would keep on playing.

Over, and over, and over again.

She felt that she was getting tired, though. She was starving, parched, her fingers benumbed and blistered, and ignoring her body signals became increasingly hard. The more time passed, the more Satie's melody became tainted in despair.

Just at the moment she thought that Artemis would never come, and she would just die here alone, a voice echoed, behind her.

" Selene… I'm here. "

She jumped, stumbling on the piano seat and clunging onto the instrument's keyboard. Surely, it was an hallucination due to starvation ; but no.

Artemis was here, on the music room's threshold ; enveloped in a patchwork blanket too big for him, his eyes red and swollen, a bruise on his left cheekbone and dried blood dripping from his nose. He was here.

They stared at each other, silently, for a long minute ; then Selene untensed her muscles, and let her fingers slip away from the piano keys.

She immediately collapsed on the floor, unconscious before her head hit the carpet.

.

When she woke up, she didn't open her eyes immediately.

Wherever Selene was, it felt warm, and safe. It exhaled a fragrance of warm wood, and some kind of after-shave. She had smelled that odor before, but she couldn't exactly put out where at first.

When it came back to her mind, she jumped up with an half-choked scream, scanning her surroundings wildly.

She was in the Manor's main living room, on the couch. Artemis was seated cross-legged by the fireplace, his back at her. Selene noticed he didn't have the patchwork blanket anymore – then she saw that he had enveloped her in it.

When he heard her waking up, Artemis turned around to face Selene, and gave her an extremely weak smile.

" Are you alright ? " he asked quietly.

Selene gathered the blanket closer around her, inhaling Butler's reassuring smell to ease herself down.

" …I don't know ", she replied just as quietly. " Are you ? "

The young Fowl's pale smile vanished. That was the only answer Selene needed.

Before she could say something, Artemis had stood up, and went to pick a tray on the small table where they had once played Go. He sat next to his daughter, on the couch, and held her a plate of waffles.

" You must be hungry ", he stated.

Selene looked at the plate, suspicious, then back into the boy's eyes.

" … you… _prepared_ it ? " she asked hesitantly.

" Yes, sort of ", Artemis replied. " … I promise it's _edible_ , if that's what your dubitative silence is implying ", he added, rolling his eyes.

Selene shrugged with a falsely sorry smile, then grabbed the plate. She gobbled the entire pile of waffles in less than thirty seconds.

Artemis took the cup of Earl Gray tea that was waiting on the tray, but suspended his move before handling it to Selene.

" Wait a second, it's cold. "

He narrowed his eyes, focusing on the porcelain mug, and Selene's eyes widened as the brown liquid started to Glitch. When she took it from Artemis' hand, bewildered, the tea was fuming softly.

" … _you found a way to use the Wired without an interface ?!_ " she muttered, astonished.

Artemis had turned back to face the fireplace, his gaze unreadable. He nodded, silently.

Selene looked down, and took a sip of tea. She hesitated, biting her lip.

" … is that how you killed Butler ? "

" _I DIDN'T KILL BUTLER !_ "

Selene jumped, frightened by the young Fowl's sudden outburst. She had dropped the tea, but the mug instantly paused itself in the air, the drops of Earl Grey hovering above the manservant's bedspread. Then, the cup was projected straight onto the fireplace, too fast for the tea to spill up, with a broken porcelain noise.

" … I didn't kill Butler ", repeated Artemis in a calmer, yet not less threatening tone.

Despite his firmly clasped hands, Selene could see they were shaking.

She stared at her father, for a long moment.

She could see how distraught he was ; she knew that the Wired had gotten out of his control, that he would _never_ have done such a thing willingly. She felt atrociously bad for him. She couldn't blame him.

But she couldn't forgive him either.

" You're a _monster_ , father. "

Artemis' jaw clenched.

" I know. I don't give a shit. "

" _Liar_. "

The young boy closed his eyes.

" Selene. _Shut up._ I am warning you. "

" No, _you_ shut up and listen to me ! " the girl exclaimed, furious. " _We_ tried to warn you ! We did everything we could to save you, but you _never_ listened ! "

" Selene, _shut your damn mouth_! "

" _YOU CAN'T SILENCE ME, ARTEMIS !_ "

The girl and the boy stared at each other, their eyes filled with hatred and defiance.

" _You can't silence me_ ", Selene repeated menacingly. " _You can't silence your conscience forever._ "

" _Try me_ ", Artemis snapped back. " _You don't know me_ , Selene. You don't know what I'm capable of. "

Selene smirked viciously.

" Maybe, but I know what you _did_ , father. _I know what you did_. "

The young Fowl's confidence shattered.

" … please, Selene. Just… please. "

The young girl's smirk turned into a sad, disheartened expression.

" _I can't shut up_. I can't. I _have_ to reach out to you. … that's the last thing Butler asked me to do. "

Artemis bolted away from the couch in shock, as if Selene had hit him. The young girl's lower lip started to tremble, but she tried to keep her voice steady.

" He came into the music room, and he heard me play Satie. He told me not to stop playing… and he never came back. "

Artemis' eyes were glowing with madness. At his fingertips, the air started to Glitch, with a menacing, crackling sound. But Selene swallowed her fear, and turned it into the more bitter and cruel tone she could pull of.

" What do you think you're doing ? You want to kill me ? " she snapped. " _You've already killed Butler, you want to murder your own daughter now ?_ "

The young Fowl convulsed brutally, gasping for air, his eyes back to their usual blue, reddened shade, the Glitches disappearing without a sound. He stepped back, cautiously.

His face becoming more guilt-ridden at each step he took.

" … it's not my fault. _It's not my fault._ "

Selene stood up, her fists clenched.

" _It's entirely your fault_. You wanted absolute power, at all costs. Now, you have it. It's all yours to enjoy. I hope it feels nice ; because we _all_ paid the consequences for your megalomania. "

Artemis' eyes became wet, and he started shaking his head negatively, as if trying to keep Selene's words away from his head.

" No. No. I did nothing. I didn't want any of this. … It's Foaly who started everything. He used the Wired to spy on me. "

" _And so what ? Why couldn't you just get back to a normal life ?!_ " Selene yelled.

" _I was ALONE !_ "

The young Fowl looked down, tears rolling down his sunken cheeks.

" … I was alone… "

Selene's heart flopped, but she kept going. Pressing on every word, ruthlessly.

" You were _not_ alone. Your _mother_ was here. You _father_ was here. "

She paused.

" … _Butler was here_. "

Artemis screamed, pressing his hands against his ears, collapsing on the carpet. He screamed until his voice broke. He screamed his lungs out.

But nobody came.

Selene moved forward, and kneeled next to him. She looked at her shuddering, grieving father, and spoke, softly.

" You were not alone. But… you still aren't. _I'm here_. "

She looked into the fireplace, her gaze unfocusing.

" I know you never meant what happened. I know you're willing to do _anything_ to erase what you have done. " she continued. " … And now, you are the only person in the world to have this power. "

Artemis didn't reply. He stared at the Persian rug before them, still catching his breath.

" I don't know if there is anything _I_ can do ", Selene whispered. " But if you think of something… I'll help you. "

Artemis blinked. Slowly, he laid down on the carpet, facing the fireplace.

" Could you… bring me the bedspread, please ? "

Selene smiled weakly. She stood up, and fetched the patchwork cloth. But when she draped Artemis into it, he reached his arm to her. The young girl hesitated ; then she laid on the ground and snuggled under the blanket, taking Artemis in her arms. He hugged her back, his cold breath on her neck making her shiver.

They stayed like this for a long time, curled up into Butler's bedspread, listening to each other's heartbeats. Eventually, Artemis spoke, in a whisper.

" … Thank you. "

.

" … Artemis ? "

The young boy curled up into a ball, frowning.

He didn't want to wake up. He didn't remember falling asleep, but he didn't regretted it ; for the first time, since what felt like forever, his mind had been at peace. Feeling nothing.

He didn't want to feel ever again.

" Artemis… wake up. "

Grudgingly, the young Fowl opened his eyes. Kneeling in front of him, Butler looked back.

Artemis' eyes widened. Stunned, he held his breath, instinctively – fearing that if he made a sound or a sudden move, the spell would break.

But Butler was really here.

Artemis' lips started to tremble, but for the first time, he didn't try to refrain the emotions. Tears of sheer relief started to run down his cheeks, and he smiled a weak, but truly genuine smile.

" I missed you so much, old friend ", he whispered. " … Domovoï. "

The manservant smiled back, softly.

" I never really left, you know. "

The young boy's smile widened with a sob. Butler's steel gray eyes shone, and he added, with a quiet, caring tone :

" I missed you too, Artemis. It's been such a long time. You… weren't yourself, for a while. "

Artemis nodded.

" … I know. "

Butler's gaze suddenly became clouded. Frowning, Artemis straightened on his elbow, staring at the bodyguard's ashamed expression, worried. When Butler spoke, it was with a desolated, apologetic tone.

" … I just wanted to protect you. I didn't want to hurt you. I was forced to. "

Artemis's heart stung, and he sat, reaching out his arm to Butler.

But the manservant moved back hastily, as if his charge's hand was a venomous snake. Artemis froze, taken aback. Butler stared directly into his eyes. His entire demeanor had changed, becoming hardened and implacable.

" I _didn't want_ to hurt you. _You_ forced me to. "

Artemis felt his heart fall and sink into a cold, endless dark pit. Butler, his gaze softer but final, stood up, and looked down at the young boy at his feet.

" Make sure it didn't happen for _nothing_. "

Then, he turned around, and walked away. Artemis, shaken, took a few seconds to react.

" No… No, no, wait, Butler, no, _come back !_ "

Entangled in the bedspread, the young boy stood up, and ran after the manservant, sobbing and whimping.

" Butler, _Domovoï_ , please, _please_ , don't go ! _Come back ! Please !_ _PLEASE !_ "

The bodyguard didn't respond, and kept on walking, further and further away. Artemis ran at full speed, neverminding the dry taste of iron in his throat and the lack of air in his lungs. He finally reached Butler, grabbing the bottom edge of his jacket, and drawing the man into a tight, desperate embrace.

" Please, I beg you, please, stay with me… _stay with me_ … "

Butler looked down at him, his eyes expressionless.

Suddenly, his face started to crackle, and Artemis felt the manservant's body crumple in his arms, like a sand statue.

Petrified, his eyes widened in horror, Artemis watched Butler fall into ashes in his hands, red cinder dissolving between his fingers and drifting away without a sound. He yelped, terrorized, and knelt down, clawing onto the ash heaps desperately, trying to gather the dust flakes back together.

" Butler ! _Butler ! BUTLER !_ "

He punched the ground with his fists, and screamed, his voice turning into a long, shrieking howl of agony as his mouth and face became covered in ashes.

" _BUTLER !_ _COME BACK !_ _BUTLER !_ _BUTLER !_ _"_

" Father ! Father, wake up ! _Wake up !_ "

Artemis' eyes shot wide open, and he stood up with a jolt, his spine covered in cold sweat and his breathing jerky.

Selene, who was shaking the young Fowl's shoulder and had backed away at his sudden move, looked at him with concern.

" … It's okay ", she said clumsily. " It was just a dream. "

Artemis shook his head, and closed his eyes, migraine, guilt and sorrow already pulsing through his skull.

He just felt so _empty_.

He had brilliantly executed one of his most brutal schemes in order to obtain the Wired's absolute power, inconsciously hiding behind his need for revenge. Hurting a lot of people in the process. Mostly loved ones, and forgotten friends.

And all of that, for _nothing_.

At the precise moment he had finally reached the Wired's full potential, it had become pointless.

A world where he was the only one in control of every single aspect of reality was already bleak and grim enough, he now understood it. But most of all, a world where he lived without Butler was simply meaningless.

The young Fowl reopened his eyes, slowly gathering his composure back. His heart was still pounding, but somehow, the nightmare had refilled him with an acrid energy.

A cold determination.

" I _refuse_. I _refuse_ to let this be real. I am the God of the Wired, and I _won't_ let this be real. "

" … What ? "

Ignoring Selene, Artemis stood up from the carpet, and went to sit in front of the fireplace, in a meditation posture. The burnt chunks of wood in the hearth started Glitching, and caught fire with a roaring sound. Selene stood up, confused.

" … what are you doing ? "

Artemis stared into the flames, his expression focused and resolute. For a moment, Selene thought he hadn't heard her, but he eventually replied ; his voice sadder and more fragile than what his tenacious attitude suggested.

" … It was all a mistake. All of this. A terrible mistake. "

He clenched his fists.

" … but I can fix it. "

Selene didn't react, at first. But then, a warm sensation arose in her lungs ; something she hadn't felt for a long time.

Some kind of hope.

The young Fowl had closed his eyes, and started muttering for himself, his lips moving silently, his brows furrowed. Selene watched him for a few seconds, then she turned back to the small table, and sat down. She had no idea if she would be able to help him, but she definitely wouldn't be of any use with an empty stomach, so the young girl finished eating the meal she had crafted when Artemis was sleeping. As she swallowed an eighth turkey, mustard and scallion sandwich, Selene's appetite started to fade out, and she began to look preoccupied.

She was happy to see her father back on track ; yet the young girl couldn't help but feel uncomfortable. Seeing how things had turned out, she agreed that Artemis and the Wired were a desastrous collaboration ; but _she_ wouldn't exist, if he hadn't created her as his Wired avatar.

How exactly was he planning to fix _her_?

_Don't worry, Selene. You will be fine, I promise._

The young girl raised her head from her plate, startled. But Artemis hadn't moved.

" … Have you just read into my mind, or am I developing a multiple personalities disorder ? " she eventually asked, baffled.

_Draw your own conclusions._

Selene dropped her fork loudly, infuriated by the young Fowl's disrespect of her privacy.

" You know, I'm _literally_ five steps behind you ", she snapped. " You could just, I don't know, _talk_ to me. "

_I'm sorry, I didn't mean to intrude. As for talking, I'd rather not. It distracts me, and I've still got a lot to do._

Selene sighed, but Artemis' voice kept resonating in her head.

_There's something you can do to help, if you want. Could you go check in my parents' bedroom ? See if everything is okay ?_

The young girl hesitated for a second, but she had been torturing herself wondering about Artemis Senior since she had been locked into the music room, and she wouldn't mind finding out how he was. She drank a full glass of mango milkshake, and exited the living room, not turning to look back at the young Fowl.

Whatever he was plotting, she had decided that she trusted him. Even though it wasn't really as if she had a choice.

Selene climbed the stairs, and ventured through the corridors. She found her way to the master bedroom easily – Angeline had taken her there, to give her the short green dress she was still currently wearing. On the doorstep, she wavered, wondering in what state she would find her metaphorically-speaking grandfather. Mustering her courage, the young girl opened the door, and switched on the light.

She jumped, putting her hands on her mouth to hold back a surprised scream.

Artemis Senior wasn't alone.

Angeline was here too.

Selene ran to the bed, unable to believe her eyes. But it was definitely Angeline Fowl, apparently paused in the middle of a dreamless sleep, wearing white clothes and a bracelet with her full name and an ID number.

After an hesitation, Selene grabbed the plastic strap, and removed it delicately. The back of the bracelet read " _The Black Edelweiss –_ _mental institution_ ".

The young girl raised her head towards Artemis Senior. Contrarily to his wife, his eyes were open ; but his gaze was appeased, and his face relaxed.

Selene stared at the Fowl parents for a few minutes, then pulled herself back together, and stored the Black Edelweiss strap in her pocket, a smile on her face as she started to understand what Artemis was up to.

The young Fowl was literally _undoing_ all his Wired misdeeds. Soon, there wouldn't be any trace left of his mischievous plan. Everything was going to get back to normal.

And even though that wasn't really auspicious for her, Selene knew it was for the best.

As he was already in his pajamas, probably thanks to Butler, Selene simply tucked Artemis Senior under the silk sheets carefully, after closing his eyelids gently. She then explored the attenant dressing room, and picked one of Angeline's nightdresses. Being completely indifferent toward nudity, Selene had no problem in removing the woman's hospital clothes and putting her into the sleeping outfit. The fact that she was paused was a lot more disturbing, though.

It really felt like manipulating a human-sized wax doll – only Angeline's skin was warm and languid, despite being completely still. It made a cold sweat run down Selene's spine, and she quickly tucked Angeline into bed with her husband before taking a few steps back.

Now, they just looked like a regular couple sleeping together, at peace. Selene smiled.

 _Angeline and_ _Artemis_ , she thought to herself. _Lydia and Liam._

Nothing happened for a few seconds, then the Edelweiss clothes scattered on the floor started Glitching, before disappearing with a soft popping sound.

Feeling a bit out of place now everything in the master bedroom was back to normal, the young girl turned off the light and left, closing the door gently behind her. Selene felt a lot better, and as she ran down the stairs toward the living room, she even found herself being optimistic.

Artemis' plan was working. Everything was going to fall back into place.

But as she entered the living room, her happy expression faded away from her face, and she froze.

The fire was off again ; and Artemis was standing by the window, his forehead and his palms pressed against the glass, a thin line of blood streaming down his nose.

Selene immediately rushed by his side, her heart pounding.

" What's wrong ? "

Artemis blinked, slowly, drawn from his lethargy by Selene's worried tone. He brushed the blood off his face, and pushed the window with his hands, facing the young girl. He tried to keep his tone even and his expression composed, but Selene saw the incertitude looming in his eyes.

" Holly's… Captain Short's minidisk. "

Selene frowned. She had never heard about the minidisk before, and seeing Artemis' state she had expected something a lot more serious than that.

" A minidisk ? … where's the problem ? "

Artemis pursed his lips, a flash of guilt streaming across his exhausted features.

" It contained my real fairy-related memories of the past two years. Holly tried to give it to me, but… I didn't believe her. After I had paused everyone, I watched it, and… it was too painful. I broke it. "

He paused.

" And I can't fix it. "

Selene tilted her head, still confused.

" … and ? I don't understand. If you can't "fix" it, then why don't you just undo the _fact_ that it's broken, like you did with sending your mother to Switzerland ? "

Artemis shook his head negatively.

" No, you don't get it. I didn't _undo_ my mother's registration at the Black Edelweiss ", he explained. " I simply _edited_ her location – I teleported her back home, if you prefer. "

He sighed, and leaned his back against the window, massaging his temples.

" It's about the same with everything else ", he pursued. " I _deleted_ the memory loop I had accidentally locked Father into, along with my office's new computing machines and the sculpture I had demanded from the Fairy Council. I brought Holly back to Haven and Foaly out of the LEP Headquarters' cells the same way I did with Mother. I _reinitialized_ Haven's lockdown procedure, my classmates' text messages history, and _reuploaded_ St Bartleby's counselor's real diploma back into the school's archives. So forth, and so on. "

Selene's eyes widened as she finally understood the young Fowl's point.

" You've _reversed_ your actions ; not _cancelled_ them. "

Artemis nodded, his eyes closed.

" Retracing my progress with the Wired and cancelling everything step by step was the first thing I tried. But it seems that you _can't_ _cancel_ an action you've made in the Wired. "

Selene crossed her arms on her lap, swallowing. If Artemis was right, this could possibly be a serious complication. This could mean that the young boy would have to deal with the consequences of the actions he wasn't able to rectify. The idea scared Selene, and her tone became angry and defiant.

" What the hell does that mean, _you "can't do" something_ _?_ I thought the Wired gave you an almighty power over the entire reality ! "

" It _does_ ", Artemis cut patiently, " but only on _present day, present time_. "

He started to pace around the living room, and despite the latent fear he felt, there was an hint of his old lecturing tone in his voice as he explained his reasoning.

" Look, I've lately deduced that the Wired works a bit like an editing software ; but I think it's actually only partially true. In film editing, you can wander around your timeline and cut bits and pieces anywhere ; not with the Wired. It only affects the _current_ state of reality. _That's why the timecodes are so important_ , and they keep on updating each second. I can access the past, via read-only mode, but I can use the edit mode _only on the current timecode_. You see ? "

He stopped, unable to hide his anxiety any longer.

" For most of the things I've done, it didn't matter ", he said, his voice trembling. " But I've _destroyed_ the minidisk. It's _gone_. I can't _un_ -destroy something, that's the most basic concept of the law of entropy. Once something unrecoverable is done… it's done. There's no _ctrl+_ _z_ option. "

Artemis and Selene exchanged a scared, silent look, the realization of the Wired's only limitation making their throats dry.

The minidisk was one thing ; but there was _someone_ else that Artemis had destroyed with the Wired, and his name hovered between the two youngsters, unspoken.

Selene was the first one to break the silence, by stepping in front of the young Fowl and grabbing his shoulders, firmly.

" There has to be a solution ", she asserted. " There _has_ to be. We just have to figure it out ; and we have all the time we need. "

Artemis looked back into her eyes, and it shocked her to see him so unsure. So despondent.

" Come on, father ", she insisted more gently. " Together, we can make it. "

She snapped her fingers, as an idea crossed her mind.

" For example ! The law of entropy ", she exclaimed. " _Why would you have to stick by it_? "

Selene was surprised to see Artemis look at her in shock.

" … You can't be serious ", he said, incredulous.

The young girl raised her arms in the air, annoyed by the young Fowl's resistance.

" Well _y_ _es_ , I am serious, and I honestly don't see where's the issue ! " she retorted. " If the law of entropy is a problem, then nothing can prevent you from rewriting it, or the laws of gravity or anything else, if you want. "

" Yes, something _does_ prevent me from doing something that stupid, and that would be _common sense_ , Selene ", Artemis snapped back. " Do you realize that entropy is one of the most _basic_ laws of physics ? It's the parameter that maintains the reality _mutable,_ ongoing. Subverting entropy would be taking the risk of creating an universe of eternal stasis. A reality without any chaos, time or death, I grant you, but mostly without any possible evolution. _Which means no edit mode_. "

Selene bit her lip, not extremely pleased to be treated like a delusive five-years-old.

" I didn't say you had to _reverse_ the law of entropy or anything, I only suggested… "

" _I know_ , Selene, but it would be like rushing headlong into a supermassive black hole. The stakes and the consequences are simply too high, if anything goes even remotely slightly wrong. "

Artemis crossed his arms on his lap, shaking his head negatively.

" I can't mess with something like that. I can't. "

" Well, then, you lack imagination ", Selene retaliated.

At first, Artemis seemed to be hit by Selene's retort ; but he startled her by dropping his shoulders, his resolute expression wearing off his face.

" … I guess you're right ", he eventually sighed. " I'm probably too much of a scientific mind for this kind of ideas. But you have to understand that you need a _paradigm_ , to use the Wired. You need a _structure_ , to help you figure out _how_ you shape reality. Maybe if I had been an occultist, or a religious man, things would have been different ; but I would have found a way to use the Wired all the same. "

He looked out the window, thinking.

" Though, I still think that even with a different paradigm, I wouldn't be able to alter a thing such as entropy ", he added, more to himself than to Selene. " There are just some aspects of reality that are too fundamental to be messed around with. "

Selene's anger had cooled down, as Artemis was making his point. But she couldn't help herself thinking that he was suddenly very cautious and responsible, for a so-called omnipotent living God.

As if reading her mind – which, in fact, he probably was –, Artemis brushed his face with his hands, shaking his head again. When his hands dropped, Selene's bitterness immediately faded away.

She had never seen him look so fragile.

" _Please_ , Selene. If anything _more_ starts going sideways, I won't be able to handle it. I won't. "

Defeated, Selene paced around the small table, rubbing her face, then let herself fall on the couch with a frustrated grunt. Artemis stayed up, pinching the tip of his nose, his brain overheating ; trying to ignore the pounding of his heart, clunging onto Selene's words for hope.

 _There has to be a solution. There_ has _to be._

But the more the two geniuses were thinking about it, the more sinister and hopeless the situation became.

At one point, Artemis dropped himself on the couch, next to Selene, unable to fake steadiness any longer.

Selene's eyes slowly started to water, and she sobbed openly, sniffling from time to time. Artemis buried his head in his hands, planting his nails in his tangled hair. He didn't make any sound, but his shoulders were trembling.

They stayed like this for a long ; very long time.

Eventually, Selene brushed her face with her sleeve, and gathered her legs under her chin, staring into the distance. Her expression was still sad ; but somehow, she was soothed.

The same thing couldn't be said about Artemis, though. He still hadn't moved, or uttered any word ; but Selene didn't try to talk to him. He had known Butler for a lot longer than her – in fact, he had never known a life _without_ Butler. It would take him much, _much_ more time than her to overcome his grief.

If he ever overcame it at all.

Selene waited, patiently. When Artemis eventually spoke, in a broken whisper, she almost didn't hear him.

" I never loose control. Never. It had to happen _once_. Just _once_. And Butler died… because of me. "

As he phrased this sentence, the young boy realized a part of it wasn't true.

He had always been a control freak ; but he had lost control, of himself or his plans, several times in the past. With the troll during the Fowl Siege, or with Spiro outsmarting him, at the beginning of the C Cube incident. And each time, Butler had taken the blow for him. Each time, being fatally wounded, or killed. Except now, it was as if the young Fowl had pulled the trigger himself. And there was no fairy magic or cryonics to bring the manservant back.

Artemis suddenly felt as if the entire world was crumbling apart around him, and his heart faltered ; for the first time in his life, his signature determination completely deserting him.

He dropped his hands off his face, revealing his swollen eyes and guilt-ridden features. Selene gently took his arm, forcing him to face her.

" It's _alright_ , Artemis. " she said, very softly. " _You are not to blame_. From the moment the Wired stumbled upon you, it destroyed your mind, and you became both unstoppable, and impossible to reason with. Butler was the only one able to stop you ; and I think this was the _only_ way for him to stop you. I think he was aware of it, from the beginning ; and he made the choice knowingly. "

The young Fowl looked away, his gaze unreadable, but he didn't withdrew himself from Selene's grip. She allowed what she had just said to sink in, before she concluded, quietly but firmly :

" … We have to accept it. We have to let Butler go. "

Artemis didn't reply. He probably wasn't ready.

Selene was, however ; and saying it out loud helped her. She felt better, and her mind became keen and seething again.

She squeezed the young Fowl's arm, and stood up. She walked toward Butler's bedspread, abandoned on the carpet, and picked it up. As she began dusting it off and folding it caringly, she headed off the living room, leaving Artemis alone so he could have some time to think.

Selene rearranged the bedspread on Butler's bed, and after inhaling deeply, she locked his bedroom's door behind her. After an hesitation, she went back into the master bedroom, and took Angeline's dress off, putting it back in the Fowl lady's dressing room. She had also borrowed an old pair of shoes, which she stored back into place.

Naked, and hugging herself for warmth, Selene came back to the living room. Artemis had fixed himself a cup of tea, and a mango milkshake glass for her. He had also left his Armani suit's jacket on the table, and the young girl gratefully put it on and buttoned it up.

Even if she knew Artemis could read her mind, it felt less uncomfortable to voice her train of thoughts out loud, so she turned back to face him – but not before sitting back on the couch and absorbing a few gulps of milkshake.

" If Butler and the minidisk are the only irretrievable … actions you made, and you've already fixed everything else ", she said, " then the only things left to do are deleting me, and unpausing the rest of the world. "

She tried to keep her voice steady, but it was difficult to hide her apprehension.

Artemis didn't answer immediately. His gaze was as grim and saddened as when she had left him, but he had composed his attitude again, standing upright on the couch, the tea cup resting on his crossed legs. He took a sip of Earl Grey, and eventually replied, his tone back to even and business-like.

" I don't think that would be an excellent idea ", he said. " Even if I've fixed everything I could, and my memories are restored, the fairies still went through hell because of me. Holly might have tried to help me, but… after Butler, I think I've broken any ounce of consideration she had left for me. As soon as I would have unpaused everything, and they realize the lockdown is over, it would only be a matter of time until the entire LEP armies show up knocking at the Manor's door. "

Selene bit her lip. She hadn't realized that.

" What would happen, then ? "

" There are a few options ", Artemis replied, bitterly. " One, they knock my family out and abduct me underground. I'd be judged for computer terrorism, blackmailing, psychological and physical torture, kidnapping, and attempted genocide, if I don't forget anything. Then, option a, I'm sentenced to death ; option b, I'm mindwiped again but certainly the brain-turned-into-melted-yoghurt style ; option c, I'm sentenced to life imprisonment in Atlantis, and never see my parents again. Or two, they straightforwardly biobomb the Manor, and both me and my parents die. "

Selene swallowed.

" … Okay. But what can you do to prevent that ? " she asked.

" I'm working on it ", Artemis retorted after another sip of tea.

Silence fell back, for a short moment. Suddenly, a shadow passed before the young boy's eyes.

" ... I've thought about dematerializing and uploading myself, on the Internet or directly into the Wired's code. I've seriously thought about it. But… " he hesitated, for a second. " … I can't bear the fact that in all those options I've evoked, _my parents_ are the ones who would truly pay the price. Whether the Manor gets blue-rinced, or I disappear without a trace and any explanation, maybe to never return… I don't want people to suffer because of me anymore. Call that hidden and self-justified selfishness, if you want ; but I can't let the fairies decide my fate. "

Selene pondered ; then she nodded, gently. Somewhat relieved, Artemis focused back on the current problem, and closed his eyes.

Taking a deep breath, he plunged back into the Wired, picturing the timeline before his eyes.

Migraine immediately pulsed against his temples, and he became instantly nauseous. Navigating the Wired without an interface became much more mentally exhausting each time – he would have to think fast, if he didn't want to faint like earlier when he had tried to repair the minidisk.

Fortunately, he had regained consciousness before Selene arrived ; he didn't want to worry her more than need be.

Artemis clenched his jaw, and focused on the timeline, zooming in on the five seconds before he had forced the Fairy Council to reveal his statue. Mentally scrolling, he explored all the various superposed tracks which had constituted the reality at these moments – the temperature underground, the exact numbers of fairies standing on the Police Plaza, the 3D-printed sculpture's texture…

_There must be an option I haven't thought of._

He kept on scrolling, eventually reaching the "social reality" tracks : conversations, thoughts, relationships, determinisms…

 _I'm still thinking too much in terms of programming. I'm not on a computer anymore. With my restrained vision of the Wired, I couldn't access all those non-virtual social stratums. The answer_ must _lay there._

He focused as hard as he could, but he still felt his body becoming weaker by the second.

_Pull yourself together, Fowl. You will rest when this is all over._

He watched and listened to each track one after the other, trying the _ctrl+z_ option every time – to no avail. As he scrolled up and up, without finding anything, his hope started to crumble away, and he felt the blood slowly withdrawing from his fingers and his legs. It was only a matter of seconds before he would start nosebleeding.

Artemis reached the five remaining tracks. And as he read onto them, it suddenly clicked.

_Of course._

The solution was right there, after the dreams and the personalities.

The memories track.

Artemis bursted out of the Wired like a drowning man emerging out of the water, panting, blood pumping through his veins.

Yet, for the first time in hours, he was exulting.

" The _mindwipes_ , Selene. By God, _why didn't I think about it sooner ?_ '' he exclaimed, his eyes twinkling. '' The fairies have developed a mindwipe technology ; and guess who was behind it ? _Foaly_. So obvious and simple, I can't believe it. The memories track is the only one where the _ctrl+z_ option works. _That's_ the solution. I can't erase my actions ; but I can erase everyone's _recollections_ of them. "

Selene widened her eyes.

" … Are you sure ? You've tried ? "

Artemis grinned, introducing the young girl to his signature vampire smile.

" I don't need to. I _know_ it will work. _Foaly has been doing it for years_. Including on me. "

Selene smiled, shyly. But suddenly, a shadow passed before her eyes, and they started to water, making Artemis frown, confused. His cheerfulness instantly disappeared when he heard her thoughts bouncing into his head.

… _you're_ _gonna have_ _to cancel me too, now, are you ?_

He stared back at her, apologetically. There was nothing he could say.

Selene looked down, fidgeting with his Armani jacket's buttons.

" Could we… could we just play Go one last time ? " she asked with a small, trembling voice.

Artemis felt his heart melt.

" Yes, Selene. Of course. "

.

Artemis and Selene sat on the Persian rug, at each side of the small table, their attention entirely focused on the Go board before them. They had played for over two hours already ; their scores were tight, but the young Fowl was still leading by a couple points.

As he laid one more white stone on the board, his thoughts started drifting away, and he bit his lip.

" Selene ? "

" Yes ? "

" Can I ask your opinion ? "

She raised her head from the board, a black stone in her hand.

" I don't have to, if you don't want to ", Artemis added. " We can just keep on playing. "

Selene hesitated, then placed her stone on the board, enhancing one of her three territories.

" No, go ahead. What's on your mind ? "

Artemis took the time to think about his next moves and place his stone, before answering.

" About the mindwipe. I was wondering ", he said. " One could say, that if something isn't remembered, then it never existed, right ? "

" That would mostly be true philosophically speaking in my opinion, but yes. "

" Then, do you think… do you think that if I erase everyone's memory of Butler's death, it would… bring him back ? "

Selene raised her eyes. Artemis kept on staring intently at the board, but she could say that he was tensed, and waiting for her answer.

Her heart twitched, but she replied as firmly as she could.

" No. It wouldn't. It would just erase the last glimpses we have left of him. "

The young Fowl's shoulders dropped, but that was the only reaction he gave out. Selene waited for a reply, and seeing it wouldn't come, she put her stone on the board, cornering one of Artemis' territories and picking up his captured stones.

" Three points for me. I'm leading. "

She looked up, hoping for an appreciating comment, but Artemis was off.

" … I've had another idea ", he said, without even looking up at her. " Picking up and merging all the existing memories of Butler shouldn't be too complicated. _I could recreate his body_ , and… "

As he kept on talking, Selene felt an aching, heavy lump fall on her stomach. This was the last moment she would spend with him before being erased from existence, and he didn't even care about the game. The young girl interrupted him, brutally.

" You're not _seriously_ considering the idea of creating a _golem_ , please, reassure me ! " she snapped, furious.

Artemis stared at her, startled by her sudden outburst. His confused expression slowly switched to an aggressive, defiant one.

" That would be _nothing_ like a golem. He would have a conscience, and a soul. "

" Maybe, but _it_ _won't be Butler_. " Selene hammered.

" _Why not_ ? I have not only my own recollections and all his relatives and contacts' ; I have his _own_ memories, from the previous timecodes. _I've_ recovered my memories, I know what I'm talking about. "

" Yes, but _remembering_ something isn't the same as remembering something you have actually _lived_ ", the young girl insisted desperately. " Your Butler would have his head filled with memories not his own. It would take him _years_ to recover from that, and become truly sensible again. And even then, it would _never_ be the Butler that you knew. "

" _I don't care !_ " Artemis violently snapped, an insane look in his eyes. " Even if I have to spend my entire life building a relationship back, it's better than just having _nothing_ !"

" Please, listen to me… "

" _I don't care if it takes him two or fifty years before he becomes truly human again, that's a price I'm ready to pay !_ "

" ARTEMIS, THIS ISN'T ABOUT YOU, IT'S ABOUT HIM ! "

Artemis backed away, stunned. Selene had bursted into tears, her face buried in her hands ; and even though he tried not to intrude, her thoughts echoed back into his own skull, filled with pain and sadness.

_Why don't you want to try to save me the way you're trying for him ? Why don't you ever care about me ?_

Overwhelmed by an intense shame, Artemis wavered for a second, unable to decide what to do. Eventually, he took Selene's hand, and squeezed it gently.

" I'm sorry, Selene. I beg your pardon. "

The young girl sniffled, still looking down at her knees.

" … That's alright ", she mumbled weakly. " I know how important Butler is to you. I'm sorry. "

" That's not what I meant. "

Artemis squeezed her hand again, making the young girl raise her eyes and stare back at him. He gave her a sad, crooked smile.

" I'm sorry for everything I've been putting you through ", he apologized, softly. " I'm sorry that I wasn't… a better father for you. "

Selene tilted her head up, her heart pounding. Leaning over the table, Artemis took her face in his other hand, clumsily but as gently as he could.

" Of all the things I've done with the Wired ", he said, staring directly into her eyes, " you're the only one that I don't regret. "

Selene sat still, for a second. Then, she bypassed the table in a single move, and jumped into his arms, her frail body shaking with sobs. Artemis hugged her back, warmly, running his hand through her hair like his mother did with him. She huddled against him, clenching her fists on his shirt.

" I don't want to be erased ", she stuttered between two sobs. " I don't want to disappear. "

Artemis pulled her closer, holding her head against his chest, so she wouldn't see his eyes watering.

" I know. Please forgive me. "

Selene held her breath, then exhaled deeply, whimpering.

" Erase me. _Now_. "

" … Are you sure ? We haven't finished the game. "

The young girl gazed briefly at the board, then closed her eyes tightly.

" It's not a good idea. It's better to do it now. Later, I wouldn't have the strength anymore. "

She paused.

" Plus, I've won, for a change. Let's keep it that way. "

Artemis smiled weakly.

" Alright. As you wish. "

" … Can you hold my hand ? "

The young Fowl obeyed, silently. Selene's fingers started Glitching, delicately. She shivered.

" I'm scared ", she whispered urgingly, as the Glitching propagated into her arms.

" You're very brave, Selene ", Artemis replied, squeezing her hand. " Much braver than me. "

He had managed to keep his tone comforting, but his heart was flinching.

When he sensed the Glitching reaching Selene's neck, tickling the tip of his fingers as he kept on caressing her hair, the young Fowl had made his decision.

" Selene, listen to me. "

He took her face in both his hands, tilting it up so she faced him. Only her eyes hadn't been covered in Glitches yet.

" You will be okay, Selene ", Artemis said, pressing on each word. " _I won't forget you_. "

Selene frowned, confused ; then her eyes widened as she understood the meaning of the boy's words.

Before she got a chance at reacting, she had disappeared, swallowed by the Glitches, and Artemis found himself alone in the living room, his empty jacket in his hands. The sudden silence overwhelmed him, cold and cruel ; but he refused to flinch. He stared at the Go board, for a few seconds.

_It was great to have someone... to spend time with._ **  
**

His heart pounded heavily, and he hesitated, filled with apprehension.

But that was the right thing to do.

Diving back into the Wired, he zoomed onto the timeline, and focused on the four months after the mindwipe. Selecting the Wired-related clips on everyone's memory tracks.

Everyone, except him.

" Ctrl+z. "

A Glitching tornado formed around him, and bolted away with a whirring sound. Artemis fell on the small table, gasping, spilling the Go black and white stones over the carpet. He felt as if his brain had been sliced in two with a burning scalpel, and his nose started bleeding. But he gripped onto the table, refusing to give up.

He went back through the entire current timecode, checking that he hadn't forgotten anything. Once he was reassured, he took a deep breath, and closed his eyes.

" Play all tracks. "

Artemis had tried to prepare himself, but the Glitching wave burning its way out of him, and the entire world coming back to life in a swirling storm of noises, smells, datas and voices almost instantly killed him.

He rolled down on the carpet with a thud sound, blood pouring down his noses and eyes. Burning his very last ounces of will, he exhaled, deeply.

When Artemis reopened his eyes, there was nothing in them but determination.

" Delete user profile. "

**HAVEN CITY, BELOW GROUND**

All the fairy capital's inhabitants suddenly stopped dead in their tracks.

Simultaneously, their throats had been seized with a sensation of utter, overwhelming terror. As if they had been discovered by the Mudmen. But the sensation faded away almost as instantly as it had appeared, and life continued its course, without any other thump. For most of them.

In her small apartment's bedroom corner, Holly laid on her futon, her eyes wide open, panting. Her ears filled with an atrocious, unutterable silence, that would keep on haunting her dreams for the months to come.

As for Foaly, he sat in his booth, facing his computers. Paralyzed with the looming sensation that something was wrong. Almost instinctively, he reached out to his keyboard, and started typing furiously. He searched, for hours.

But the Wired was unfindable.

It horrified him, at first ; mostly because he couldn't think of anyone who could have somehow slipped past Protocol 9, without his prior knowledge, to steal his administrative rights.

… Actually, he could think of two people ; but one of them was in a comatose stase at the Argon clinic, and the other had been mindwiped four months ago, leading a perfectly regular and innocent life since then.

Well, as regular and innocent as Artemis Fowl the Second's life could get.

The centaur smiled inconsciously, when thinking about the little Mudboy. And, after a small hesitation, he turned his search engine off.

The Wired was gone. He'll try and figure out how later. For now, he'd just stick to this unquestionable fact : it was for the best.

**FOWL MANOR, IRELAND**

Angeline woke up with an annoyed yawn, startled by the sun rays beaming on her face. She hated sleeping with the curtains open ; and for a brief second, her discomfort turned into a blatant uneasiness. As if she had been dislodged, put out of place somehow.

But then her husband cuddled against her, with a soft kiss on her neck, and the disquieting feeling was soon forgotten.

A few moments after, the Fowl couple descended the stairs toward the kitchen, holding hands and chattering – arguing playfully about what they would do today, and rejoicing of how nice New Year's Eve had been this year. Arriving in the kitchen, they were surprised to see nobody around and no food prepared. Usually, by this hour, Butler was already up.

Seeing her husband's brows furrowing in disapproval, Angeline squeezed his hand.

" Come on, Timmy, this is not big deal ", she said, " everyone has the right to sleep every once in a while. Let's wait for Butler and Artemis to wake up, shall we ? "

Artemis Senior's view was briefly fogged at the mention of his son, and he shivered for an instant. But he quickly got his composure back, and he nodded with a smile, resting his weight upon his cane.

They didn't see Artemis immediately when entering the living room ; first noticing the Go board and stones spattered all across the table and the carpet. It was only after taking a few steps closer than Angeline noticed a pale, inert hand on the floor.

The blood withdrew from her face, and she rushed and kneeled by the boy's side in a single move. She rolled his body around, and brought her hands to her mouth, her delicate features distorted in horror.

Then, she started screaming.

" _TIMMY, CALL AN AMBULANCE ! CALL AN AMBULANCE IMMEDIATELY !_ "

Struggling with his prosthetic leg as he was trying to come and get a closer look at the situation, Artemis Senior froze, his heart stopping at the panic in his wife's voice. Dropping his cane, he rushed to the nearest telephone, limping and cursing at his God-forsakened leg.

Meanwhile, Angeline had started crying, as she held her son's unconscious body in her arms, neverminding the blood staining her nightgown.

" Arty, oh my god, my baby, what happened ? What happened to you ?! "

She couldn't understand. Just the evening before, he was all well, wishing her and his father a good night. And now, he was knocked out in the living room, barely breathing, his skin paler than death and his cheeks sunken like a corpse's, blood pouring from his nose and eyes sockets.

The young woman pulled her son closer, tears streaming down her cheeks, as Artemis Senior started yelling over the phone, his usually so calm and composed voice dripping with worry and anxiety.

" BUTLER ! _FOR CHRIST'S SAKE, BUTLER, WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU !_ "

He was screaming so loudly it took Angeline a full minute to realize Artemis had spoken.

" Arty ? Honey, what did you say ? "

A wheezing, hollow sound escaped Artemis' cracked lips.

" … Butler won't come, mother. "

Angeline's heart missed a beat.

" Wh-… _What are you talking about, honey ?_ "

Artemis closed his eyes ; a lonely, single tear melting into the blood dripping from his cheeks.

" Butler won't come. He won't. Ever again. "


	15. Database 00 : Epilogue

**Database #00 : Epilogue**

**EXCERPT FROM ARTEMIS FOWL II'S DIARY (CRYPTED DISK)**

It's been a year now since I deleted my account, and logged out of the Wired for the last time.

I spent five months at the clinic ; four in the child psychiatry ward, but the first six weeks at the emergency department.

I don't have many recollections of that period ; I was crippled with withdrawal syndrom, erratically lucid, wavering from nightmares to hallucinations until I couldn't distinguish them apart, constant pain as a background noise. I regained consciousness and human form little by little, painstakingly ; and as soon as I became able to properly think and talk again, everyone – my parents, the doctors, the police – began to assault me with questions. What substance had I been taking, was it voluntarily, or who might have forced me to. What had happened to me. Where had Butler disappeared.

I faked amnesia.

Quite ironical, isn't it.

Afterwards, I retreated into detached silence and apparent indifference, going through addiction treatments, individual sessions, art and group therapies absent-minded at best, downright lethargic sometimes. I endured six different therapists ; all of them more blatantly incapable than the others. I deflected their various attempts at analyzing me with theorical questions, leading to psychological and philosophical debates, reassessing each one of their methods – managing to never talk about myself, all the while demonstrating their incompetence and incapacity to help me.

I couldn't manage to be as cynical and sardonic as I usually am with these kind of fools, though. The underlying atmosphere, in the child psychiatry ward – this mismatching of colorful corridors and plastic furnitures with sick infants crying all nights, and sedated teens roaming around the emergency exit doors –, was drawing all potential desire for mockery away from me.

And even if I knew the psychiatrists and psychologists were useless, for once, some part of me actually _wished_ they could help.

This emotional weakness led me to do something very foolish with one of them : I tried to give him a clue.

I asked him why, in his opinion, the MRI scans showed traces of physical dependance in my brain, while the doctors didn't manage to find any kind of substance in my organism which might have caused it. It took him two sessions to figure an hypothesis that wasn't completely farfetched ; but in the end, he told me that he theoricized a part of my dependance symptoms as a manifestation of Butler's loss. Deducing that I was eaten up with remorse, and racked with the guilt of something atrocious regarding his disappearance.

After that, and even though I confirmed nothing, it became widely admitted that Butler was dead.

At first, it felt like a relief ; but I soon realized that ungodly rumors had started to be spread across the clinic.

I warned my parents, and the therapist was immediately reported and fired ; but the harm was already done. There were people claiming that I had been forced to order my own bodyguard's assassination – or various stupid ideas of the same caliber –, and the most delusional speculations about what Butler would have supposedly done to me ended up all over the Internet. Among these, attempted kidnapping and repeated sexual abuse were the most popular.

I denied any of this ; but because of my alleged amnesia, and unmistakable post-traumatic syndrome, nobody believed me.

Knowing that Butler's memory was being tarnished like this, by my fault, and that I couldn't do anything to stop, or undo it… It felt as if I had killed him again.

As of this moment, my ability to remain composed shattered, and I became more fragile than I've ever been before. If I managed to feign impassivity throughout the majority of my remaining hospitalization, I would sometimes loose complete control of myself, and burst into tears, unable to calm down before several hours. It happened when the clinic's cafeteria served a _crème_ _brûlée_ dessert ; or during Juliet's first and only visit. It also happened after Holly's departure.

She came to visit me, one night.

Of course, I'm mindwiped, to the eyes of the fairies ; Holly didn't manifest herself into the visible spectrum, nor talked to me. But as I was rolling in my bed, insomniac as usual, and turned to face the window, I noticed a faint shimmer in the air. I stared, for a few seconds ; and the shimmer disappeared. There is no way to tell for certain, obviously. But I know that it was Holly.

Since that moment, the fairies never approached me again. I've decided to respect that. Regarding all the troubles and horrors I have put them through by the past, I will not take the first step anymore.

If I and the fairies shall cross paths in the future, it will be their decision.

Finally, after those five months, the clinic's medical staff realized keeping me in wouldn't lead anywhere ; and I came back home.

Since then, I'm focusing on spending more time with my family ; especially my mother. We play a lot of music together. I've gotten back to my predilection instrument, and I'm working on a new piano and harp duet, that I plan on offering her for her birthday, next February.

Besides composing, I've resumed the science and art research projects I had left behind after the Glitches – except this time, I'm truly involved into them, and not waiting for something exciting to happen. To keep my mind distracted, I've also started tracking Hervé's lost painting, _The Fairy Thief_ , across Europe.

If I manage to find its current location, I don't know if I'll try to steal it. Undoubtedly, that would require a solid plan.

Two months before Christmas, and with our family doctor's approval, I started reducing my daily medication. It's now been three days since I've completely quit the pills ; and I haven't had an insomnia in weeks. It's planned that I go back to St Bartleby on January the 14th, in nine days.

All in all, life is back to normal ; and everything seems to be okay.

…

Except it's not.

It's not okay.

Because Butler isn't here.

He isn't here, and it will never be okay anymore.

Even when my father was presumed dead, and my mother retreated in her attic, the manor had never felt that shallow and empty to me. There isn't a day passing where I don't feel the weight of his absence.

And Juliet's.

After she visited me at the clinic, she left Ireland, never to come back again. She wasn't fooled by my so-called amnesia, and begged me to tell her where Butler was.

But _how_ could I answer ? _What_ could I tell her ?

Sometimes, when I wake up in the morning, the guilt feels so huge and heavy I can't breathe. I'm pinned to my bed, gasping for air, unable to make a sound.

In those moments, I wish I could just revert back in time, and delete my memories with all the others. Oblivion becomes all I crave for. But I know that I've made the right choice. It was the only way I had to spare everyone… and never take the risk to see history repeating itself, allowing me to perpetrate these kind of horrors again. The only possible way.

I just wish I had someone to talk to.

There are days, where the pain becomes so unbearable I want to die.

During those darkest hours, thoughts of ending my own life have crossed my mind. Reality without the Wired feels too bleak ; life without Butler feels too dreary.

But those thoughts have never lasted long. Suicide would be like spitting on Butler's grave. I can't imagine a worst insult to his memory, and his sacrifice. I have to keep myself together, and keep going. That's the least I could do. Yet, sometimes, his sacrifice feels like a poisoned gift.

Butler's death kept me alive. But now, it is slowly driving me insane.

I am too dangerous of a person to have my memories erased. But it is just so _painful_ to know. Having seen the world turn into Hell, but being the _only one_ to remember. Having become a monster, and having nobody to share my mourning and my fears with. But it is the price I chose to pay.

It is my punishment. It is my burden.

A life of utter loneliness.

**FOWL MANOR, IRELAND**

Artemis stared at the computer screen, for a few seconds.

Then, his hands slowly drifted away from the keyboard, and he leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling.

Behind him, the window was slightly open, and a cold January breeze made its way into the office. No more stacks of hard drives, advanced cooling system, CIA computer units and cables running all along the floor : the room had reverted back to its initial state, the only addition being a set of two chairs, in front of the desk.

Artemis sighed, silently.

Since he was back from the clinic, and judging from the outside, it was hardly possible to tell everything he had been through with the Wired. His cheeks were full again, and his skin, well, was pale as usual, but not cadaverous anymore.

Only in his ocean blue eyes, there was a subtle, concealed sadness. It was barely visible ; but Artemis had the feeling it would never fade away.

_Come on, pull yourself together. They are waiting outside._

Artemis tilted his head towards the door, and a lump fell on his stomach.

He straightened on his seat, and closed the encrypted word-processing software where he kept his diary. Absent-mindedly, he drifted among the various opened Internet tabs, until he ended up on his inbox page.

Even though he had already read it about a thousand times before, the young Fowl flicked through Madame Ko's email once again.

_Dear Mister Fowl,_

_I share your pain. It is a bodyguard's duty to protect his or her principal at all costs ; but the loss of a Blue Diamond is immense nonetheless, and today more than ever._

_It was no mystery to anyone ; but your bodyguard was one of my best students. More than mere force and intelligence, he possessed real values, and a pure caring nature. It can prove to be a dangerous flaw, for most bodyguards ; but he was a true professional, and turned it into one of his biggest strengths. I shall always respect and honor his memory for that._

_That being said, I am no fool. I warn each and every of my students against bonding with the principal ; but in a relationship such as the one you both experienced, a strong emotional connection was unavoidable. I believe it is relatively normal, and I understand it._

_Though, there's one thing that I need_ you _, mister Fowl, to understand._

_I know you believe that your bodyguard is irreplacable. But you must trust me, and my experience : the bond you have forged with him won't ever disappear or fade._

_The litany of life goes on. Your bodyguard's path is now over, but the mission he was given isn't. New bonds have to be made._

_And it is not a treason. _

_Take all the time you need. I'm sending you the best people I have ; as every one of my graduates, they are highly-trained guardians, and exceptional people. I have no doubt you will find someone to take over on his mission, if you are ready to._

_My sincere wishes, Mister Fowl, and all our condolences, from everyone here at the Academy who had the privilege to meet Domovoï Butler._

Leaning against his desk, Artemis gazed into the distance.

He had received that email about eight months ago ; and his first reaction had been to write a polite, but firm refusal reply. He hadn't sent it immediately, though. Knowing Madame Ko had probably blind-copied the same email to his parents, he would wait until dinner, to allow his mother to try and insist for him to accept.

Yet, much to his surprise, when he had informed his parents of his decision not to replace Butler, Angeline had nodded, quietly, and said nothing.

But later, that same evening, his father had come to see him in his bedroom.

" … When I was in Helsinki's hospital, and after I learned that the Major was dead ", he had said after sitting on the bed, next to his son, " Madame Ko sent me a very similar email. "

At this moment, the elder Fowl had paused ; and Artemis knew he would always remember the composure wearing off his father's face, revealing saddened, melancholic features.

" I… well. Much like you, I have always grown up with the Major by my side ; even if he only became my bodyguard when I turned seventeen, as you know. His death has been… is still very hard for me to put up with. I gave much thought about it ; but ultimately, I turned down Madame Ko's offer. So I… I just want you to know, son… that whatever you choose to do, I will respect your decision. "

The two Fowls had stared at each other, for a few moments. Then, Artemis had broke down into tears, and stayed in his father's comforting arms, until he fell asleep. Somehow, relieved.

The following morning, he had replied to Madame Ko's email – agreeing to meet her candidates.

.

With a sigh and a few clicks, Artemis closed his mail inbox, the lump in his stomach becoming more acrid. He logged into the Manor's surveillance system, and enhanced camera 37's live feed.

 _There are only three left, now_.

Artemis' hand tightened on the computer mouse, as he stared at the corridor's video retransmission. Madame Ko had sent him a little more than a dozen candidates to take on Butler's position ; but the young Fowl hadn't seen a single one of them in a job interview yet.

For the past eight months, they had patiently waited in the corridor, and Artemis had been in his office, bracing himself ; but each day, he ended up postponing all the appointments.

He really tried. But he just wasn't ready yet.

As the wait prolonged itself, for weeks, then months, some of the candidates stopped showing up. They left Ireland, little by little – bored, annoyed, or simply appointed somewhere else ; until there remained only a small handful of them. Until yesterday, there were still five people waiting. Soon, if this kept going on, there wouldn't be anyone left.

Artemis leaned closer to the screen, his chin resting on his palms. He forced himself to be focused, and he stared at the three remaining Blue Diamonds, seated next to each other along the corridor wall. He slightly tilted his head. Among them, there was a woman.

The young Fowl had memorized all the names, IDs and resumes Madame Ko had sent him along with her fifteen candidates ; he recognized the woman as Chimrit Khayr-Faharani.

At fifty years old, she was one of the oldest still-active bodyguards he had heard of. Israeli, born in Tel-Aviv in 1953, former contemporary dancer and political activist, married and divorced, she had entered Madame Ko's Academy in 1980, after an eleven years international dancing career at the Batsheva and various other modern dance companies. In 1983, one year after graduating from the Academy, she had entered the service of Bahareh Moulih, an old excentric Egyptian choreographer engaged in feminist art, and served as her bodyguard for almost twenty years.

Until, in 2001, Bahareh Moulih died ; from the only thing Chimrit Khayr-Faharani, or any other bodyguard, couldn't protect her against.

Old age.

Artemis blinked, slowly, staring at the bodyguard's face.

_Chimrit Khayr. "She who keeps, benevolent". That's a pretty name._

The videosurveillance live feed's images were a bit noisy, so he couldn't quite distinguish her expression ; but the woman's matte features still emanated a calm, yet fiery energy. She was small, but visibly muscled and flexible – everything, in her seemingly loose but focused attitude, evoking a feline predator at rest. There were grey strands in her dark brown braided bun, and a large knife-fight scar crossing her entire left cheek, from her eye's inner corner to the bottom of her ear. When he noticed she was wearing worn-out leather military boots with her black Chanel suit, Artemis' lips stretched into a small crooked smile.

As if she felt the young Fowl's gaze upon her, Chimrit raised her head towards the camera ; and the lump in the boy's stomach lifted off, a little bit. Something, in the Israeli woman's orange-brown eyes, touched him.

A subtle, concealed sadness he recognized far too well.

_Go on, take the chance. That's the moment. You'll never be truly ready, anyways._

Artemis hesitated, for a few seconds. Then, he stood up, and readjusted his tie and handcuffs, swallowing.

As he headed for his office's door, his heart pounding with apprehension, the voice echoed in his head again.

_Don't be so nervous, you will be fine. She seems like a nice lady._

His hand on the doorknob, Artemis rolled his eyes, annoyed but an hint of amusement in his tone, as he muttered to himself.

" Just shut up, Selene. "

.

The door creaked as he opened it, making the three Blue Diamond bodyguards raise their heads at him. The young Fowl stood still, unsure for a second. Slowly, he turned towards Chimrit Khayr-Faharani.

Their gazes met, for an instant.

Then, with a deep breath, Artemis stepped aside, giving way into the office, his ocean blue eyes locked into Chimrit's.

" … Come on in. "

 

**The End.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... as of yet. :-)
> 
> thank for reading. feel free to review, even though the story is completed, I love feedback, more or less constructive criticism, or whatever - sharing is a huge part of the writing process.
> 
> see you later, here or on fanfiction.net maybe.
> 
> Dolly


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